A Petitcodiac man has learned about the importance of defibrillators after recently suffering a heart attack.
Gerald Robison, who just turned 52, was playing recreational hockey with friends at the Petitcodiac Arena when he collapsed on the ice.
Robison says two friends, Joel Walker and Tara Brown, performed CPR and used a nearby defibrillator with little time to spare.
“Basically, there was about a four minute period where my heart was working but it wasn’t working properly whatsoever and probably would have stopped totally,” he says.
Robison says both did an excellent job and saved his life before he was taken to hospital where a stent was inserted to open up a blockage.
Now back to work and doing much better, he believes defibrillators should be located in more public places and businesses.
Robison recently thanked his two friends for saving his life at a public recognition event at the Petitcodiac Arena.
It also highlighted the Public Access Defibrillation program which is overseen in the province by Medavie Health Services.
