Cardiac arrest survivor working to spread awareness, provide easier access to defibrillators
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — Since Julie Coon went into sudden cardiac arrest in 2018, she's seen it happen to countless others, including LeBron James' son, Bronny.
"Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any age and any physical ability," she said.
Coon shared that she never had any health problems before experiencing sudden cardiac arrest while volunteering at her daughter's high school.
"After the fact did I realize the enormousness of all the parties that came together to save my life," she said. "It made such an incredible, indelible mark on me because I'm still here."
Coon was surrounded by people who knew all the right steps to take. Calling 911, performing CPR and accessing a nearby automated external defibrillator (AED).
"If we were given the opportunity to save someone, we wouldn't know where to find one," she said.
It is why she launched the nonprofit Cardiac Crusade with her husband, Greg Coon.
As of this week, their website is up and running. In part, it features a free database that lists how many AEDs are in the 500 biggest cities in the country and maps their locations.
"It's kind of a two-part effort," Greg Coon said. "Army of volunteers to populate and then the cities to say, 'Yes.' We want to incorporate this to our 911 system. Today, it is available for free to all municipalities and 911 systems across the country."
The hope is that one day the locations will also be listed on smartphone map apps so everyone will quickly be able to see them.
"Right now, Julie and I are in conversations with two global mapping companies," he shared.
The American Red Cross says every minute a person in sudden cardiac arrest does not receive defibrillation, their odds of survival are reduced by 10%.
"With our efforts...we can give many more people the outcome that I had, and I was very fortunate," Coon said.
If you'd like to volunteer, sign up on the Cardiac Crusade website here.