Teen raises $20,000 to install 5 AEDs in town for student athletes
WBZ
By Ken MacLeod
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Massachusetts (WBZ) — A senior at a Massachusetts high school has turned her Girl Scout project into a potentially life-saving effort for young athletes in her community.
Siene Hesbach is a student athlete who recently moved to Maynard after spending three years in the Netherlands. After the move, she noticed that the town lacked publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs). They were available in schools and government buildings, but not near the athletic fields.
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in student athletes, according to the National Library of Medicine. Maynard schools only had one portable AED and there are several fields, all minutes apart from one another.
So she decided to help make a change for her Girl Scout Gold Award Project. After 18 months of fundraising, Hesbech raised around $20,000 to give five AEDs in the town.
“She didn’t take no for an answer,” Tom Hesbach said.
“At first, the town was a bit wary of it. We went ahead and had to fundraise it all,” Hesbach said.
They have been installed at the Alumni Track, Fowler Field, Rockland Field, Ice House Landing, and Memorial Park.
Fire department will mantain AEDs Siena said that the Maynarad Fire Chief Angela Lawless was a firm supporter every step of the way and that the fire department will help maintain the devices.
“There were a lot of obstacles that had to be overcome, and we did it together. I am very proud of her today,” Chief Lawless said.
You can do anything you want to do. Even if there are roadblocks, someone like your fire chief is going to help you through it all,” Hesbach said.
The AEDs come from Chelmsford company Zoll and will be able to instruct the user on how to use them in the event of an emergency.
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