Lawrenceville, GA - Smiling Hearts - Grayson Athletic Association (GAA) will soon be equipped with a new automated external defibrillators (AEDs). Smiling Hearts - The Nick Blakely Foundation (NBF) is excited to announce our gift of an AED to GAA.

Today, NBF announces our AED donation to GAA on what would have been Nick's 23rd birthday. This achievement marks NBF's fifth AED placement in Gwinnett County Parks & Recreation as part of its continued efforts to combat sudden cardiac death.

GAA will receive a Powerheart® G5 AED Automatic by Zoll Medical to serve the more than 3,400 youth that participate in its recreation programs yearly.

NBF’s vision is to turn every potential tragedy of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) into a story of survival. SCA remains the #1 killer of youth in sports. Our AED program enables us to offer any person who may experience SCA the best chance for survival by ensuring this life-saving device is available during an unexpected cardiac tragedy.

Bree Smith, GAA Assistant Football Director, applied for NBF's AED donation. "I speak for GAA when I say, we are HONORED to receive an AED from the Smiling Hearts foundation. With this new AED, we will always be prepared to provide immediate attention in an unforeseen situation," she said.

"The impact of COVID brought a sudden halt to youth sports in our communities. However, as our youth return to sports, so do the risks of cardiac events," said Ryan Brown, Executive Director of NBF. "We hope an AED is never needed, but if so, we want to ensure one is available wherever our youth are active."

Cardiac arrests can happen anywhere, at any time, and bystander intervention and treatment with an AED has been shown to increase the survival rate by three times.

Post date: 11/04/2020