Defibrillator Donated to EHS

At a heart warming meeting of the Edgemont Junior and Senior High School on Monday March 1, the school received a donation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) from Lenox Hill Hospital. The machine was donated in honor of Edgemont Senior Cody Fisher who has become a spokesperson for AED training after he was saved last summer at camp when he suffered from sudden cardiac arrest.

The Superintendant, faculty and administration were on hand to learn more about how an AED in the hands of trained person can save lives. Dr. Ranjit Suri, a Cardiologist at Lenox Hill and an Edgemont father of four children presented the facts about sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and only 5% of those who experience sudden cardiac arrest survive. SCA is due to an unstable heart rhythm and the defibrillator can restore the heart’s normal rhythm. However this must be done immediately to prevent brain damage.

Quick work by an alert nurse at Cody’s sleep away camp saved his life and since that time he has become a proponent of AED training so that more lives might be saved. When Dr. Suri learned of Cody’s incident and full recovery he wanted to honor Cody with the gift of an additional AED to the Edgemont Public Schools.

The hospital is currently giving defibrillators to schools, churches and public institutions in Manhattan and the Bronx because those who suffer a sudden cardiac arrest have the highest chance of survival if they are around others who can intervene.

Cody’s mother Alisa Herschaft attended the meeting and said, “I would like to thank Barry Friedman and Nancy Taddiken, as well as all the principals, teachers and staff members from EHS, Seely and Greenville, for being so serious about this subject matter and thank all the teachers and staff members who got certified and trained in AED and CPR."