By Julius Ewudo, ASEAN Region Representative
When a young mother collapsed unexpectedly during a morning jog, six quick actions of local responders and early access to defibrillation gave her a second chance at life.
Lee, a 30-year resident of Heathcote and an Ambulance Community Officer, Registered Nurse, and GoodSAM Responder, played a crucial role in the rescue. Although she’s responded to 18 sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) over her career, this one was different.
The mother, holding her 10-month-old baby, felt dizzy before collapsing onto the road. Her friends sprang into action—one calling 000 while the other began CPR.
“They’re the real heroes,” Lee said. “They didn’t hesitate, and that’s what made all the difference.”
Lee received a GoodSAM alert and arrived within two minutes. Grabbing her CellAED® and medical kit, she quickly assessed the scene. “CPR was being performed, a crowd had gathered, and young children were watching in shock,” Lee recalled.
With the bystanders continuing CPR under Lee’s guidance, she applied her CellAED® to the woman’s bare chest. The device delivered two shocks before Lee detected a return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). “I’ve got a pulse!” she shouted, marking the first time in her career that she’d seen a patient’s heart restart following a sudden cardiac arrest.
The local Heathcote ambulance crew arrived minutes later, and Lee and her team manager worked together to stabilise the woman before the advanced life support and mobile intensive care ambulances (MICA) arrived. The young mum was then airlifted to Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. Within a week, she had received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and returned home to her family.
“The chain of survival worked perfectly,” Lee said. From immediate CPR to the GoodSAM alert and rapid defibrillation with CellAED®, every link was critical. “The young guy who started CPR right away made all the difference.”
This rescue was deeply personal for Lee, whose own children attended school with the woman’s family. “That could have been one of my kids,” she reflected. “I’d want someone to step in and do everything they could.”
Lee, who carries her CellAED® everywhere in a small, insulated lunchbox, calls the device “idiot-proof.” Unlike other AEDs, CellAED® is portable, easy to use, and designed for anyone, trained or not. “You just snap, peel, stick,” she said.
Lee urges everyone to get involved, emphasizing that training isn’t a requirement to make a difference. “If you do nothing, people will die. But if you try, you give them a chance.”
This rescue stands as a powerful testament to the importance of personal AEDs, quick action, and community responders. Thanks to these efforts, three young children still have their mum—and Heathcote has one more life saved to celebrate.
