❤️ ANOTHER COMMUNITY DEFIBRILLATOR GOES LIVE – WAXX, SHILDON ❤️
- Mark Preston
- 4 hours ago
- 3 min read
Another fantastic project completed as we continue to give back to the communities that support MISSEDABEAT.
Today, a new 24/7 publicly accessible defibrillator and Bleed Control Kit goes live outside Waxx Barbershop & Record Store in Shildon, County Durham.
But there's actually a very personal story behind this installation.
Waxx owner Dan Bradshaw knows first-hand just how important having a defibrillator nearby can be. One of Dan's close friends, Ben Simpson, suffered a cardiac arrest – and a defibrillator helped save his life.
And there's an amazing full-circle part to this story...
Ben is the electrician who installed this new defibrillator cabinet at Waxx. ❤️
Ben, from Sparkwise, is one of our partners and installed the cabinet for us last Friday. To see someone whose own life was saved following a cardiac arrest now helping us install lifesaving equipment for another community makes this particular project even more special.
Dan told local news that having the defibrillator at Waxx means a lot to him personally because of what happened to Ben. With limited publicly accessible defibrillators in the area, he was more than happy to provide a location where one could be available to the people of Shildon.
The whole project – defibrillator, external cabinet and Bleed Control Kit – has been fully funded through MISSEDABEAT.
And that is only possible because of YOU.
Every person who donates.
Every person who fundraises.
Every business that supports us.
Every charity box.
Every runner and every person taking part in an event.
With the Great North Run just around the corner and our little team gradually becoming a much bigger team, we're incredibly proud to be able to put some of those funds straight back into communities by fully funding projects like this.
And we've got several more projects we're currently overseeing and funding – so watch this space. 👀❤️
The Cardiac Science Powerheart G5 defibrillator will now be registered on The Circuit, making it available to the ambulance service in an emergency.
Dan will become the guardian of the defibrillator, helping us make sure it remains checked, maintained and emergency-ready. He's also put a MISSEDABEAT charity collection box behind the counter and is looking at organising a charity event later this year with a number of his friends to support us further.
It was still business as usual at Waxx while we were there – another happy customer getting his trim! 💈😂
There's also a really important message behind today's installation.
Installing a defibrillator is only the beginning.
One of our biggest focuses this year has been looking after the defibrillators already out there – replacing expired pads, batteries and hygiene kits, carrying out checks and making sure devices remain registered and available.
We've seen too many occasions where communities have worked incredibly hard to fund a defibrillator, but somewhere down the line the guardian moves on, checks stop being completed or consumables expire.
Eventually, that defibrillator can fall off the grid and become unavailable.
That's heartbreaking when you think about the reason it was installed in the first place.
We don't want to simply put a box on a wall and walk away.
When MISSEDABEAT installs or supports a community defibrillator, we want to make sure it's looked after, maintained and ready for the day somebody may desperately need it.
Ben's story is a perfect reminder of why that matters.
A defibrillator was there when he needed one.
Now he's helping us make sure there's one there for somebody else. ❤️
Massive thank you to Dan, Ben, everyone at Waxx, and every single person who continues to support MISSEDABEAT.
This is a team effort – and together we're putting lifesaving equipment back into our communities and making sure it stays there.
❤️ Another one ready. More to come. ⚡
Comments