Sydney Haines, a high school senior in Carmel, Indiana, has been named the recipient of the AED.US Scholarship. Sydney was chosen by Coro Medical, home of AED.US, to receive a $1,500 scholarship.
We asked students to interview an AED user and have them retell a save story or an incident where an AED could have assisted a victim in need. Sydney interviewed a family friend who has been a firefighter/EMT for the Indianapolis Fire Department for 18 years, Alan Scheu. Alan describes a crisis that he and his team responded to where two friends were casually drinking a beer in their garage after their 40 year high school reunion when one goes into Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Luckily his friend knew CPR and started chest compressions right away after calling 911. After Alan and his team arrived, they quickly began using the AED. It took Alan and his team 10-15 shocks on the man’s front side and 2-3 shocks using double sequential defibrillation on the man’s front and back over a span of 45 minutes to get his heart rhythm back to normal. This being one of the longest saves Alan has ever seen or done! Thankfully, the man was revived and talking before he reached the hospital.
Sydney is following her passion and pursuing a career in nursing at Perdue University. "Considering my mom is a nurse and my dad is a medical device salesman, I was immediately drawn to this scholarship opportunity as cardiac health is very important to my family. In addition to this, I personally know many people that have suffered from cardiac arrest. For these reasons, I full-heartedly felt called to contribute to the fight to get more AEDs into areas all across the US."
AED.US Scholarship Program is a new program providing $3,000 in scholarships to high school seniors or students enrolled in an accredited college or university. Additional information about the program can be found here.
“The AED.US Scholarship program is an important part of fulfilling our commitment to spreading AED and Sudden Cardiac Arrest awareness,” states Tommy Wilkins, President of Coro Medical. “We created this program to provide opportunities for students to reach their full potential and make a difference in the healthcare industry.”
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Written by Blaire Czarniecki
Customer Service Director
Fact checked by Phillip Woods, BA, NREMT-P, FP-C
Blaire attended the University of Tennessee where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology- Child and Family Studies. She has been in the Automated External Defibrillator (AED) industry for over eight years and is the Director of Customer Service for Coro Medical. Blaire is also an American Red Cross-certified CPR/AED/First Aid Instructor, highly trained by each manufacturer on their specific AEDs, and knowledgeable regarding ALL State AED regulations and legislation.
“I know that every day I come to work, I am playing a part in saving someone’s life. I am passionate about these devices and am always looking for new and innovative ways to spread awareness and knowledge about Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). I look forward to the day when everywhere I go, I will see an AED—when SCA will no longer take any lives.”
Last updated February 2, 2020
