Answering questions about Project ADAM, CPR and sudden cardiac arrest

Would you know what to do if you saw someone having a cardiac emergency? Does your school have an AED and trained staff who know how to use it? And what do the Bee Gees have to do with CPR?

These are just some of the questions I got to address in a recent Facebook Live chat, which was a great way to kick off Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month. Watch the video above to check it out.

Project ADAM saves lives

It’s so important to get the word out as much as possible about CPR training and having a plan in place to prevent tragedies like the one that led to the creation of Project ADAM.

Back in 1999, 17-year-old Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, high school student Adam Lemel collapsed and died while playing basketball. Adam had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest and there was no access to equipment, such as an automated external defibrillator (AED), that could have saved him. Their son’s passing inspired Adam’s parents, Joe and Patty Lemel, to team with Children’s Wisconsin and the Herma Heart Institute to form Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillators in Adam’s Memory).

The organization, of which I’m proud to serve as administrator, works with hospitals around the nation to help implement pediatric cardiac emergency plans and equipment in schools. We recently logged our 100th life saved, and are excited to be a part of many more.