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defibrillator installed in stewarton in memory of local woman
In November , St John Scotland supported the installation of a Public Access Defibrillator in Stewarton , which was donated in memory of local woman Laura Henderson after she tragically passed away aged only 42 .
Laura , who was extremely active , was out for a run in March this year when she suffered a sudden cardiac arrest . Despite the best efforts of those who attended to her , Laura never regained consciousness and passed away peacefully a few days later .
Following Laura ’ s passing , those who knew her were keen to donate in her memory , so her family decided to use some of the funds to donate a defibrillator to the community where she grew up . They are also funding two further defibrillators in Kilmarnock , both of which will be installed shortly .
The defibrillator was unveiled on 23 November , the day of Laura ’ s birthday , when she would have turned 43 .
Laura ’ s brother Jason Henderson said : We were distraught to lose Laura at such a young age and in such sudden circumstances . It ’ s been an incredibly difficult time since she died , but as a family we were keen to do something positive in her memory , so we decided we wanted to install a defibrillator in Stewarton .
as possible gives the person the best chance of a good outcome . So we ’ ve been honoured to be able to support the Henderson family to provide the defibrillator for the benefit of the whole community .
As well as the Stewarton defibrillator , St John Scotland have also recently helped provide the devices in Galston and Newmilns , and have plans to work with more communities in Ayrshire over the coming months .
The charity ’ s volunteers have also been busy providing CPR and defibrillator training across the region , with sessions taking place in Galston , Moscow , Newmilns and Kilmaurs .
St John Scotland are keen to welcome new volunteers who would like to join the team and help save lives in their community . Anyone who would like to find out more can visit the website for further information : www . stjohnscotland . org . uk / volunteer
Laura ’ s family and friends help unveil the defibrillator
It ’ s been installed at the Centre , which is where Laura spent many happy hours at the discos in her younger days with her close friends , and so there are lots of happy memories here .
We hope that by providing this defibrillator , we can prevent another family from going through the same heartbreak we have .
Following the installation of the defibrillator , St John Scotland provided CPR training in the Centre , which Laura ' s family and friends attended .
Chair of St John Scotland ’ s team of volunteers in Ayrshire & Arran , Jess Duncan , said : Laura ’ s death was such a tragedy for her family and friends , and for the community here in Stewarton who know the family so well . Around 70 people have a cardiac arrest each week in Scotland , yet sadly , only one in ten survive . Performing CPR and using a defibrillator as soon
Laura ’ s parents , Norah and James Henderson , pictured with St John Scotland ’ s Jess Duncan and Margaret Campbell , Director of Stewarton Annick Youth and Community Association