By Kayode Crown
al.com
MADISON COUNTY, Ala. 鈥� Mark Russell was refereeing a high school football game in Huntsville when the unexpected happened in 2017.
鈥淭hat night I had a cardiac incident,鈥� Russell, now 61, recounted in an interview with this month. 鈥淗ad some blockage in my heart, had the widowmaker and immediately fell over sometime in the first half of the game and fell face first onto the ground and was out.鈥�
An off-duty cardiac nurse, who was at the game as a volunteer photographer was right behind him, and an ambulance was nearby. The nurse started CPR, and emergency technicians delivered an electric shock to restore his heart rhythm using an automated external defibrillator, or AED.
Having the right people in the right places was lifesaving, said Russell, a former Huntsville council member, and the current executive director of the .
鈥淭hey鈥hocked me back to life,鈥� Russell said.
Years later, Russell hopes his story can galvanize the public to support an initiative spearheaded by the to provide hundreds of AEDs in Madison County, with , the , and the sports commission as partners.
鈥淚 think I have to go out and tell my story 鈥� that this happened to me and these people saved me that I didn鈥檛 even know, and they saved me, and it happened so fast that if they didn鈥檛 save me, there wouldn鈥檛 be me,鈥� he said.
Launched in November 2023, Sarah Savage-Jones, president of the foundation, said the three-year project, 鈥淗eartbeat Heroes: Powering Play through AEDs,鈥� seeks to raise $1 million for 500 AEDs across Madison County, covering schools, recreational facilities, and sporting venues. In this year鈥檚 budget, Huntsville supported the
A city of Huntsville spokesperson stated it has received the devices.
The project has also received additional funding from the, and , according to Savage-Jones.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten some funding from our governmental partners. We are asking for private donors to help too,鈥� Savage-Jones said.
She said one machine costs $2,000 and that the project has already reached 25% of its $1 million goal.
鈥淥ur goal is to set up a sustainable automated external defibrillator program in all the sporting facilities, recreational facilities, and, of course, we want to promote this in the schools and just basically throughout our community as many places as we can 鈥� universities and things like that too,鈥� Savage-Jones told . 鈥淭hat鈥檚 our vision and goal for the project.鈥�
The project includes training volunteers on how to use the devices and administer CPR, ensuring that the devices are fully charged and maintained, kept ready at all times, and placed in high-visibility areas and in sufficient numbers to maximize the chances of survival for anyone who experiences sudden cardiac arrest.
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what the hospital has agreed to kind of take on to drive this effort and then keep it sustained so that we will set up a system to go and check them and make sure that they are working on a regular basis,鈥� she said.
Part of what Huntsville Hospital is doing is providing maintenance, general training, and CPR training, she added.
鈥淲e also can provide that along with the heart association to those volunteers and leaders in those communities,鈥� she said.
She cited Russell鈥檚 experience as an inspiration for the project.
鈥淲e know that if you use an AED in the first six minutes of a heart event, it exponentially increases the patient鈥檚 chance for survival,鈥� she said.
鈥溾�夾nd the consequences that come with that when it cuts off the oxygen to your brain and things like that,鈥� she added. 鈥漇o if you can get in there and get that AED for the first six minutes, you鈥檙e much more likely to save that child鈥檚 life or that adult鈥檚 life. And that鈥檚 what we want, to blanket the community with these pieces of equipment.鈥�
Savage-Jones said there is 鈥�,鈥� underscoring the urgency of having AEDs in as many locations as possible.
鈥淭he more accessible AEDs are, the better it is for our community,鈥� said Tracy Doughty, Huntsville Hospital president.
This is not the first time the city of Huntsville has funded Huntsville Hospital Foundation projects. In both 2022 and 2023, it provided $25,000 annually for . Last year, the city provided $25,000 to assist patients after hospital discharge.
Alabama proposing $5 million for AEDs for the state鈥檚 public school systems.
Savage-Jones said this would go a long way toward the project鈥檚 goal and is partnering with Madison County school systems 鈥� including the school districts of the cities of Madison and Huntsville and that of Madison County 鈥� on equipment purchase, sharing best practices for placement, training, maintenance, and repair.
鈥淲e are all collaborating to determine the balance between accessibility and security and to fill in any identified gaps in coverage,鈥� she stated. 鈥淎nd, of course, we are augmenting CPR training and certifications throughout the schools and other public entities.鈥�
Volunteer opportunities at Huntsville Hospital Foundation include providing meals or snacks for patients, stuffing event invitation envelopes or hanging up event posters. Those interested can register .
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