Bronny James' cardiac arrest reinforces local widow's push for AED distribution

BOSTON - Suzanne McKenzie is on a mission to save lives after she lost her husband to a sudden cardiac arrest at Moakley Field in South Boston in 2009.

"He was playing a game in the Bay State soccer league and was running up the field and just collapsed," Suzanne said.

Her husband, Ucal McKenzie, was just 32 years old with no pre-existing conditions. CPR was administered on the field but there was no defibrillator until first responders arrived.

"It just took so long for them to get there," Suzanne said.

Now, another sudden cardiac arrest has captured sports headlines. LeBron James' son, Bronny, was hospitalized, Tuesday, after collapsing during a basketball practice at USC. He is now in stable condition and no longer in the ICU.

The cardiac arrest of an otherwise healthy 18-year-old is only reinforcing Suzanne's mission. Her charity, the Ucal McKenzie Breakaway Foundation, Boston Parks and Recreation, and In A Heartbeat Foundation, will commence the distribution of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) across public fields in Boston Wednesday, starting at Moakley Field.

"We're starting with the field my husband passed away on and it's actually the first time I'm going to be returning to the field so I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself for that," Suzanne said.

The data supports her mission. The American Heart Association says survival from a cardiac arrest doubles when bystanders set up and use a defibrillator.

"AED accessibility in our communities is something I am very passionate about. My late husband did not have access to an AED during his sudden cardiac arrest emergency, and his outcome could have been different if he had. I want to help ensure there are more positive outcomes for others in the future," she said.