South Holland and the Deepings MP Sir John Hayes backs fundraising campaign launched for Crowland Town Footballer Michael Palmer
In his regular column MP Sir John Hayes gives his support to a campaign launched following the sad death of footballer Michael Palmer
Earlier this year, the sudden death of Michael Palmer, who collapsed while playing football for Crowland Town Football Club, shocked us all.
Since then, Michael’s father, Mike, has launched a fundraising campaign for more defibrillators across the area, with over £10,000 being raised.
Our health and lives are precious, and I want to publicly thank Mike and all those who have backed his efforts.
They deserve and have my full support.
The donation page can be found here: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/michael-palmer-mp99.
Knowing the difference that a needed fast response can make, like Mike I want to see more defibrillators across my constituency and beyond.
Our towns and villages, as well as our sports facilities and high streets, are all places where more such lifesaving equipment can and should be located.
Last month in Parliament, I attended the British Heart Foundation’s RevivR training, at which I learned how to save a life - CPR is the procedure used when someone has a cardiac arrest.
RevivR is an innovative online CPR training tool that I encourage everyone to use.
The training is easy, quick and free – all that is needed is a mobile phone and a cushion to potentially save someone’s life when their heart has stopped beating.
To find out more, please visit revivr.bhf.org.uk.
At that Parliamentary event, I met married couple Nicky and Michael Lack.
Nicky saved Michael’s life with quick CPR and defibrillation in 2018 after he had a cardiac arrest at home.
They spoke inspirationally about the power of CPR and defibrillation to save lives. With over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in the UK and a survival rate of less than one in 10, it’s important that everyone learns lifesaving CPR.
You too might save a life one day, just as Nicky did.
Founded in 1961, the British Heart Foundation is researching the increasing death rate from cardiovascular disease, to which end they spend around £100 million a year to fund over 1,000 research projects.
Their work is vital to ensuring that we know more about the problem, and that we can take every possible step to ensuring that everyday lives are saved.
That is why I am encouraging everyone, as well as completing the British Heart Foundation’s RevivR training, to support the cause by visiting Spalding’s British Heart Foundation charity shop, as I do frequently.
The poet John Keats wrote: “Life is but a day; a fragile dew-drop on its perilous way from a tree’s summit.”
When emergencies occur and tragedies happen, human fragility becomes all too apparent. So let’s strengthen the means by which we can save precious lives from peril.