A young woman from Kingsbury is encouraging Londoners to join a charity walk to raise funds for more defibrillators across the city. Olivia Christofides, who saved her stepfather’s life when he went into cardiac arrest, is backing the London Ambulance Charity’s ‘London Heart Starters’ campaign.
The campaign aims to raise money to improve access to defibrillators in local communities and train more people in CPR. These life-saving tools and skills can make a crucial difference when someone’s heart stops beating.
One of the key fundraising events is The London Life Hike, taking place on Sunday, 8 September. The money raised from the event will go toward buying and installing public-access defibrillators in neighbourhoods that need them most.
Olivia, now 19, sprang into action when her stepfather, Geraldo Folie, collapsed at home in March last year. Using the CPR skills she learned in the Scouts, she performed chest compressions until paramedics arrived. She had also called 999 and received further guidance over the phone.
“I was really scared but I had to think quickly and calmly about what I needed to do in that moment to save his life,” said Olivia. “Families really need access to defibrillators in the neighbourhoods where they live and know how to do chest compressions so they can help the people they love if the unthinkable happens.”
Olivia urged people to sign up for the London Life Hike, adding: “I’d urge anyone to support us and other families whose lives have been affected by cardiac arrests by signing up to the London Life Hike to fundraise for more defibrillators where people live.”
Analysis by the London Ambulance Service has shown that several neighbourhoods in London have little or no access to defibrillators. The data also shows that communities in deprived areas are more likely to lack these life-saving devices.
Mark Faulkner, a Consultant Paramedic who was on the scene to help save Geraldo, said: “75 percent of cardiac arrests happen at home and you are most likely to need to use a defibrillator on someone you love. Those first moments are crucial and their chances of dying increase every minute without help.”
In Brent, where Olivia and Geraldo live, there are eight priority areas identified as needing more defibrillators.
For more information about the London Life Hike, visit the London Ambulance Charity’s website.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
He launched Harrow Online in 2010 as a Facebook page sharing local news and information. Since then, it has grown into a trusted source for breaking news, crime, council decisions, planning, transport, business and community stories across the borough.
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