Jiri Fischer and Walter Gretzky 

 Jiri Fischer (right); Walter Gretzky

Hockey great Jiri Fischer supports AED initiative
Defenceman Jiri Fischer was sitting on the bench during a game when he collapsed and underwent sudden cardiac arrest. Fischer credits the team doctors and availability of an AED, coupled with CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) for saving his life. Now, he's helping the Foundation raise awareness about the importance of AEDs and CPR. Read the full Jiri Fischer Story.

CPR training
Learning CPR is easy and inexpensive - just a few hours could make an important difference in someone's life. Find out about CPR training in your area.

 Order The Family & Friends™ CPR Anytime™ Personal Learning Kit online today.

Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
New Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) make it possible for even non-medical personnel to restore heart rhythm–and life. Find out how your donation can help provide AEDs to communities and the training required to use them.

In 2008, the Foundation doubled its goal of placing 1,000 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in more public places across Ontario to 2,000 by 2010. Donations received through the Heart&Stroke Restart a Heart, Restart a Life and the Chase McEachern Tribute Fund helped us meet with early success, and has resulted in 1,215 more AEDs in our communities. But beyond these two initiatives, this success can be attributed to so many more: 12 additional funding partners, more than 59 municipal groups, the commitment of Ontario's front-line emergency medical personnel, volunteer fire-fighters, mayors, councillors, city and town administrators, corporate and community foundations, and participating First Nations communities. 

Read about the lives saved by a Heart and Stroke Foundation-funded AED:

Glenn Arthur
Michel Langevin
HSFO Saves a life in Waterloo
Defibrillator program saves Orillia man’s life
He shoots, he scores, he lives, thanks to AED save in Dunnville
Middlesex county swimmer saved by AED

 

Saving Lives
In Canada, approximately 40,000 sudden cardiac arrests occur each year. Less than 5% of people who have a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital survive.

Up to 80% of cardiac arrests take place outside of a hospital setting.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) is a simple, lifesaving skill that all Canadians should learn. Cardiac arrest survival rates increase when bystanders follow the first three links in the Chain of
Survival: phoning 9-1-1, performing CPR right away, and providing defibrillation as soon as possible.

Research suggests that doubling the number of citizens trained in CPR could save more than 1,000 lives in Canada every year.

With each passing minute, the probability of survival declines by 7% to 10%, according to the Foundation. When defibrillation is used along with CPR, survival rates can go from 5% to more than 50% if delivered in the first few minutes.