Alan wins community award for his tireless life-saving work

Alan wins community award for his tireless life-saving work

Posted: Mon, 07 Dec 2015

Alan wins community award for his tireless life-saving work

Alan Harrison White, a retired cardiac specialist nurse who gives his time for the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) and the British Heart Foundation, was presented with the Community Award at a ceremony last week.

Alan has travelled to all corners of the city and county, visiting schools and sports clubs with a vital lifesaving message.

While on his travels, Alan shares his lifesaving skills and knowledge on cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how defibrillators work.

He explains the symptoms to look for that could be signs of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS), a group of heart conditions which claim the lives of 12 young people aged 12-35 every week in the UK.

Alan said: "I was honoured to receive the award. I'm not sure who put my name forward, but it was a really nice surprise to be nominated, let alone win.

"I'm pleased to be able to use my skills to help people. CPR is easy to learn and the more people who know how to do it, the more lives potentially can be saved.

"I train a lot of young people and I like to think I'm training the next generation of life-savers."

The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT), a local charity, was set up in memory of Rothley teenager Joe Humphries, who collapsed and tragically died from SADS in October 2012 while out jogging.

The JHMT now works tirelessly to raise awareness and reduce incidences of sudden heart death, often through life-saving training offered for free by people like Alan.

Chair of the JHMT Steve Humphries said: "Alan's work is amazing. He's visited more than 50 school assemblies, spoken to more than 10,000 pupils and more than 500 teachers to tell them why CPR is so important.

"He is a true gent. He visits local sports clubs as part of Joe's Mini HeartStart for Sports – our training scheme that gives local clubs a chance to learn life-saving skills for free.

"He and his wife Jill have trained 602 people in CPR on behalf of JHMT and the British Heart Foundation.

"Alan's achievement is truly fantastic but what's even more amazing is that we know he will not stop here – he'll keep going, keep sharing his knowledge and spreading the vital message – that these deaths can be prevented."

To find out more about the work of the JHMT and its life-saving training for sports clubs, visit www.jhmt.org.uk.

Tags: CPR, Events

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