Young Cardiac Arrest Survivor Raising Awareness for AEDs

During what should have been a normal P.E lesson at school, 16-year-old Sam Mangoro sadly fell suffered a Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Luckily, with use of a defibrillator and effective CPR, Sam survived the cardiac arrest.

Before his collapse, Sam remembers lining up to play basketball. The next thing he recalled was waking up in Southampton General Hospital.

Sam received the definitive treatment from a teacher who was attending a job interview at the school. She quickly recognised that Sam was suffering a cardiac arrest, instructing the other teachers to bring her a defibrillator and began CPR. For every minute without treatment, a casualties chance of survival falls by 10%, so responding fast is vital. The defibrillator, which had only been installed a few weeks prior to the emergency, shocked Sam four times to restore his regular heart rhythm.

This incident wasn’t Sam’s first experience of a cardiac arrest; he was admitted to the hospital at just 10 days old when his heart failed, causing multiple organ failure. After a few weeks, and a lot of determination, he was discharged from the hospital. Sam was given medication and advised that he may need to have a heart transplant.

By the age of 11, Sam was living a normal life and no longer needed his medication.

That was until his second cardiac arrest, where medical professionals determined that it had been caused by abnormal heart rhythms from the arrest he encountered as a baby. To prevent this from re-occurring, Sam was fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), which is a small device that detects arrhythmias and shocks the heart back into its normal rhythm.

Since then, Sam has lived a happy and healthy life and is keen to educate and raise awareness for sudden cardiac arrest. He has managed to teach people about heart-related illnesses and the importance of defibrillators, as well as gaining over £3,500 from the campaign that he set up: ‘All Heart.’ However, Sam states that he is determined to keep going with his campaign, with the aim of saving more lives from SCA.

Without the use of an AED or effective CPR, survival of a sudden cardiac arrest patient is unlikely. Therefore, it is fortunate that Sam’s school was equipped with this life-saving device and someone who was aware of the steps to take in an SCA emergency.

However, many schools across the UK still do not possess a defibrillator, putting their pupils and staff members at risk. SCA can affect anyone, regardless of their age. 270 children are sadly lost every year in the UK, after suffering a cardiac arrest at school. Providing an accessible AED and having a member of staff trained in first aid could help to lower these numbers.

If you would like to learn more about AEDs, visit our defibrillator page.

You can also help to support Sam’s campaign by visiting the Facebook page: Sam’s All Heart Campaign.

defibshop are committed to equipping everyone with the skills and knowledge to save a life. Speak to one of our Product Specialists on 0161 776 7422 or fill out our Contact Form.

Disclaimer: Images from Resuscitation Council's Community Stories.