When Lismore’s Louise Owen was 30, she suffered a cardiac arrest while 26 weeks pregnant with her second child. Louise was in the middle of teaching a class, and thanks to some quick-thinking students who performed CPR, Louise was kept alive until a defibrillator arrived and she was flown to Brisbane for treatment.

While this story has a rosy outcome, the fact is if the defibrillator had taken any longer to arrive, Louise would not be here today. It was lucky the ambulance station was only one kilometre away. In most situations, that’s simply not the case.

Louise, who now promotes first aid in the community, told her story to members of the Rotary Club of Summerland Sunrise several months ago, and they were so inspired they have since raised $3000 to buy a defibrillator for Lismore.

“For every minute that defibrillation is delayed the patient loses a 10 per cent chance of survival,” said Louise. “If you have a cardiac arrest you’ve only got 10 minutes, but the average ambulance response time Australia-wide is 12 minutes. There should be defibrillators in sporting clubs, shopping centres, at beaches – anywhere that’s a significant distance from an ambulance. A busload of people every single day – that’s 33,000 people a year – die from cardiac arrest.”

The new defibrillator will be housed in a frequently populated public area. The club is now in discussions with Lismore City Council to decide the best site for the machine.