On Saturday Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart visited Beverley resident, public access defibrillator fundraiser and cardiac arrest survivor Mr Willy McCutcheon to view the newly installed defibrillator outside the Day Centre of the supported living facility on Mintfields Road in the town.
Graham Stuart MP commented: “Since Mr McCutcheon himself was saved by a public access defibrillator after suffering sudden cardiac arrest he has fundraised tirelessly for their wider installation. This public access defibrillator Mr McCutcheon has provided for Beverley is all down to his dedication and passion to see greater survival rates for cardiac arrest sufferers
“So, it was an honour to meet up with Mr McCutcheon on Saturday to see the fruits of his latest fundraising efforts; a brand new community defibrillator installed at the Day Centre of the supported living facility on Mintfields Road, Beverley.
“I want to congratulate him on his fundraising and applaud the example he sets to all of us in East Yorkshire. If we are going to make sure everyone has access to a community defibrillator then we all need to be more like Mr McCutcheon.
“Through my CADEY (Community Access Defibrillators for East Yorkshire) campaign the committee is working hard to achieve full coverage for Beverley and Holderness over the next year. Our focus right now is in getting all Beverley and Holderness Parish Councils to sign up to become ‘CADEY Councils’ and commit to fundraising for public access defibrillators in all of their communities. It’s going to be an uphill struggle but we’re determined to make Beverley and Holderness an example to the rest of the country. Every second counts after a cardiac arrest. If you can shave off even a few seconds before getting a defib onto someone you may save a life.
“Only by achieving full coverage and raising awareness of what to do when sudden cardiac arrest happens can we have more success stories and survivors like Mr McCutcheon.
“Of course, I hope residents will never need to use Mr McCutcheon’s newly installed defibrillator. But should the worse happen, then the people of Mintfields have peace of mind.
Mr Willy McCutcheon said “My life was saved because there was a defibrillator very close by when I suffered my cardiac arrest. I am eternally in the debt of the wonderful people who got that defibrillator on me so quickly, restarting my heart, and saving my life. I am dedicated to repaying that great gift by doing my utmost to see my home town of Beverley benefit from as many public access defibrillators as possible. The closer you are to a defibrillator, the greater the chance you have of survival. Every second counts!”.
