Up until a few years ago, my only knowledge about an automated external defibrillator (AED) device came from the movies. All I knew was that one, two, three, clear and some paddles to the chest could possibly save a life.
But the importance of this miracle machine took on new meaning for me in the summer of 2016 when I found my healthy, thirty-one-year-old, former athlete husband unresponsive on our bedroom floor. His heart had stopped, and unbeknownst to us at the time, he had a rare genetic condition that made it broken beyond repair.
After his diagnosis, doctors implanted an internal defibrillator into my husband’s chest in hopes that if his heart stopped again, it would shock him back into restarting. Which, thankfully, it did indeed do when he flatlined for the second time.
Emerging Technology Could Save a Life in Frisco
My husband is exceptionally lucky to have a device embedded in him, but Frisco residents in need of the similar lifesaving measures are about to receive that same degree of luck as ten new AED machines are introduced into our city parks.
The ZAPSTAND is a 24 hour defibrillator kiosk designed specifically for public facilities and parks. Each kiosk includes around the clock video monitoring, remote access control, emergency response handling, medical oversight, and aftermath support.
The ZAPSTAND has an outdoor 46 inch screen that can be used as an illuminated poster or real-time digital display—perfect for health, safety and community information—as well as educating bystanders on cardiac arrest and what to do in an emergent situation.
Mayor Jeff Cheney is excited to introduce the ZAPSTAND into our local city parks, which could potentially include Warren Sports Complex, Frisco Commons, and Simpson Plaza.
We’re proud to be named ‘best place to raise an athlete’ in Sports City USA, and we’re quickly earning the moniker ‘safest place to raise an athlete’ from the hospital facilities, the research that is happening, and this program too. We want kids to play hard and compete, but we also want them to be safe.
Frisco City Council Member Tim Nelson, agrees.
I’ve had a family member that was saved by an AED device. I predict already that these will save lives in the City of Frisco. I can’t think of a better investment for our parks. It’s interactive. Kids can go up and learn how to use these devices without taking them out. I’m really excited about them. I hope that they never have to be used…I predict that they will. If they save one life, it’s well worth the investment.
My husband outwardly appears to be the epitome of health. We had no idea that on the inside his heart was three times as thick as it should be and prone to stopping. The City of Frisco’s initiative to promote health and safety through emerging technology will save lives, my husband’s included.
We all should be able to play hard and still be prepared. Our ten new emergency kiosks will allow for just that.
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