Cardiac arrest claims the most lives around the world, with the United States adding about 475,000 deaths yearly. While the government has taken some measures by providing AEDs in certain designated areas, places such as hotels, businesses, and factories are not included by law.

Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any place, at any time. According to the National EMS Information System, it takes an average of 6 minutes in urban/suburban locations and 13 minutes in rural areas for first responders to arrive. Using the statistics aforementioned, if bystanders rely only on the AEDs provided by emergency personnel, victims in urban/suburban communities would have irreversible brain damage if they are able to be resuscitated, and victims in rural areas would have an estimated 0% chance of survival (with no bystander help). When pertaining to sudden cardiac arrest, every second matters. As a community, we need to ask ourselves, how much is the life of your colleague, friends, or family worth? I guarantee that the answer will surpass the cost of placing one AED that can save hundreds of people over the course of its shelflife. With your help, we can donate these AEDs to businesses and highly populated areas that lack them, potentially saving the lives of those who are around them.