The Buchan School has installed a brand-new defibrillator, which has been supplied by Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation and generously funded by a parent.
Charlotte Holtby kindly provided the funds for the new defibrillator due to Charlotte’s close ties with heart issues. Her son Freddie was diagnosed with a Bicuspid Aortic Valve when he was just eight weeks old and is under the care of Alder Hey and her other son Luca was diagnosed with Patent Foramen Ovale (a small hole in his heart) when he was 14 years old.
Charlotte said:
“What Craig’s Heart Strong Foundation does is amazing. We are very lucky to have Paul and his colleagues providing scans and valuable life saving machines, plus an array of information on awareness, which is given to the community. Providing The Buchan School with a defibrillator was not only a blessing and a privilege, but also it gives peace of mind to everyone that it is there; saving lives matters.
“The importance of having these scans done, especially when there is a family history of heart issues, is extremely important in my view and we are very thankful to have all been offered the scans.”
Craig’s Heartstrong foundation is an established Manx charity which was originally set up by the Lunt family in memory of their 25-year-old son, Craig, a well-respected, talented and popular young Manx footballer who tragically died in April 2005. His death was due to a previously undiagnosed heart defect. There are already over 560 defibrillators around the Island which the charity has purchased and statistics show that if a defibrillator is used on a patient within a few minutes of cardiac arrest they have a 60-70 percent chance of making a full recovery.
Chairman Paul Healey BEM said:
“We have seen over the years how important these machines can be as they have literally been saving lives across the Island.”
Janet Billingsley, Head of The Buchan School understands how important it is to have such medical provisions available. She said of the donation:
“The Buchan School is extremely proud of our medical provision and we are grateful to Ms Holtby for her generous donation and Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation for providing this new defibrillator to our school.”
Paul Healey – Chairman, Craig’s Heartstrong foundation
Luke Murray – Secretary, Craig’s Heartstrong foundation
Charlotte Holtby and her children Luca, Freddie and Frankie
Sister Frances Bland, Nurse at The Buchan School
