Toronto Police Officer to Run a Three Day Relay Five Months After Rebounding from Sudden Cardiac Arrest
Mikey Defibrillator Helps Save 16th Life
TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2013 /CNW/ - Nearly five months after suffering sudden cardiac arrest during Toronto's Half Marathon, Toronto Police Const. Andrew Rosbrook is on a team of over 250 law enforcement professionals participating in the National Peace Officers' Memorial 'Run To Remember' starting Thursday, September 26/13. His commitment to run his 4th relay, is in part because of a MIKEY defibrillator.
The 460 km 'Run to Remember' starts at 9am from the Ontario Police Memorial site at Queens Park in Toronto. The three-day relay ends in Ottawa where the annual Police and Peace Officers' Memorial Service happens on Parliament Hill.
In May, 2013, as Rosbrook was about to finish his race, he collapsed with no sign of breathing or heartbeat. In seconds, Det. Const. Laurie McCann with an off-duty doctor and a paramedic trainee performed CPR until paramedics arrived with a portable MIKEY.
After being shocked once, Rosbrook's heart began beating. He was then taken by ambulance to Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital where a stent was placed in his left descending artery which had become completely blocked. Three days later he was released, and a month later he was running again.
Said Mikey Network Chairman Hugh Heron, "Const. Rosbrook is our 16th save. His miraculous recovery has allowed him to participate in a sport that he loves, and is true testimony to his second chance at life."
In a recent Facebook post Rosbrook said, "I am doing this run not only to give thanks to fallen officers and support their families, but to illustrate and highlight the awesome benefit of AED's, the crucial role MIKEY played in my survival and recovery and my hope that one day they'll be as commonplace in our society as fire extinguishers."
Rosbrook will be participating in the relay with Const. McCann, now a good friend, who helped save his life five months ago.
ABOUT THE MIKEY NETWORK
The Mikey Network, founded in 2003, is a registered Canadian charity working to create public awareness and provide education about heart healthy lifestyles. To date, over 1,350 MIKEY defibrillators have been placed across Canada, and 16 lives have now been saved. The Mikey Network was named for Mike Salem, a valued partner at Heathwood Homes and The Heron Group who experienced sudden cardiac arrest and died on a golf course in 2002. Other Mikey Network programs include: Mikey's Kids - The Mikey At Home Program, The Mikey's Young At Heart School Defibrillator Program, Mikey On the GO, Mikey Cops Are Tops. For more information or to donate, visit www.mikeynetwork.com.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL PEACE OFFICERS' MEMORIAL 'RUN TO REMEMBER'
The National Peace Officer's Memorial 'Run to Remember' was established in 2005 when the Peel Regional Police running team, The Pacers, decided to raise awareness of the annual Police and Peace Officer's Memorial Service held annually on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The running team wanted to create a way of raising awareness of the annual service and at the same time pay tribute to those officers who had so valiantly given their lives in service of their Community and Country. http://www.npomr.org/
SOURCE: Mikey Network
David Eisenstadt / Sohini Bhattacharya
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