A Wangaratta woman is alive today thanks to the quick thinking of bystanders who jumped into action when she went into cardiac arrest two years ago.
Monica Arundel, 71, was enjoying a lunch with her Probus Club at the Club Savoy Myrtleford function centre in November 2022 when she suddenly collapsed.
Monica Arundel (second from left) reunited with ACO and GoodSAM responder Chris Walker, bystander and local Infection Prevention and Control Officer Kelly Barton, and Paramedic Natasha Orfanidis who helped save her life after she went into cardiac arrest in November 2022.
Luckily, Kelly Barton, an Infection Prevention and Control Officer at the local hospital, was in the building at the time and started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) within a minute of Monica collapsing, while others called Triple Zero (000).
Another bystander also retrieved a publicly accessible AED from Coles which delivered one shock to Monica before paramedics arrived.
But more help was on the way with local GoodSAM responder and Ambulance Community Officer (ACO), Chris Walkear jumping into action as soon as he received the alert on his phone.
GoodSAM is a life-saving app that connects patients in cardiac arrest with a nearby volunteer who is willing to start hands-only CPR while an ambulance is on the way.
Anyone who is over 18, is familiar with CPR and has a smartphone can download the free GoodSAM app.
Kelly also notified local General Practitioner Dr James Wei who attended and provided support where needed.
Ambulance Victoria (AV) Paramedic Natasha Orfanidis was one of the paramedics on scene and said the actions of the bystanders and GoodSAM responder are the reason Monica is alive today.
"Monica's story is an example of how lifesaving the GoodSAM program can be," she said.
"We know that bystander intervention has the greatest impact on improving someone's chance of surviving a cardiac arrest and the fact Monica is here today proves this.
"I feel so privileged to be given the opportunity to meet Monica. It is not often that we get to know a patient's outcome and I often go home wondering.
"This story also highlights the importance of saving 000 for emergencies, so that we can make lifesaving differences to our community."
Every day, around 20 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest and only one in 10 survive.
When a patient receives CPR and a shock from an AED before paramedics arrive their chance of survival more than doubles.
Mr Walkear said what happened to Monica reinforces how important it is to have publicly accessible AEDs.
"Publicly accessible AED's save lives," he said.
"If someone is in cardiac arrest and an AED is available, simply open it and follow the instructions. They are safe and easy to use and will not deliver a shock unless it is necessary."
Monica's sister Kath Wood said she was blown away by how many people helped save her sister.
"So many people came together to help her, it was truly fantastic," she said.
"It just goes to show how important CPR and AEDs are and the great job our paramedics and healthcare workers do."
Ms Orfanidis also encouraged everyone to register their AEDs with AV so call-takers can direct people to them in an emergency, including GoodSAM responders.
Visit Automated External Defibrillator Registry to register an AED or see how many devices are registered in your area.
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