Hello, our names are Nicole and Deon. We have set up this fundraiser as we want to be able to raise enough money to purchase a Defibrillator which will be donated to a Rural school named Cape Clear Primary School. If we happen to raise enough to purchase a second Defibrillator we would take the opportunity to donate the second unit to another Rural School. Facts on Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) and Defibrillation: ~ Every year more than 30,000 Australians suffer from  Sudden Cardiac Arrest. ~ SCA can occur without warning at any time to people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and health status. ~ Without Defibrillation and CPR less than 26% survive. ~ Every minute counts. For every critical minute that passes between a SCA and Defibrillation, each minute reduces the chance of survival by 10%.  More than 10 minutes decreases survival rates to less than 10% (Eg; if a Defibrillator is 4 minutes away from the patient, that's 8 minutes, plus a possible 2 minutes to get it up and running, a total of 10 minutes has passed by and the chance of survival has decreased dramatically). ~ If Defibrillation is received within the first few minutes of a SCA, the chance of survival becomes greater than 70%. ~ A Defibrillator determines if a shock is required as it analyzes the heart first. The defibrillator will not deliver a shock if it is not required. Connecting a defibrillator to a patient who has a suspected Sudden Cardiac Arrest or who has collapsed and lost a pulse, will not cause any harm and is in fact considered good practise. Our Story: When our daughter was born, she appeared to be a healthy strong infant but we had a niggling feeling that something wasn't quite right. Within the first 5 weeks of her life, she had stopped breathing 3 times, her body was limp and lifeless and it was most terrifying. Deon brought her back twice and her granddad brought her back once. We were told by Doctors that this is normal and babies just do this.  She always had a blue tinge around her lips which got worse as time went on.  We had her in and out of hospital a lot but were given many different reasons as what it could be and it became disheartening that Doctors were not listening to us and making us feel it was all in our heads, although we were continuely told that our daughter was failing to thrive and she had physical developmental delays. We were told things like she had a full dairy intolerance, it was just a virus and the list went on. We persisted that something just wasn't quite right. At 6 months of age, one night she became quite ill, so we took her to the Royal Children's Hospital emergency department, the Paediatrician we saw, was listening to her heart for a while and then requested our daughter have a chest xray straight away. We took her for the xray and within minutes after the xray, we were back in with the Paediatrician. Her words she said have stayed with us all these years. "I don't want to alarm you but your daughter's heart is on the wrong side", we were shocked but relieved to know someone was listening to us. Within in minutes our daughter was admitted to the Cardiac (Koala) ward, where she remained for a couple of days and met with Cardiologists, Respiratory Specialists and Paediatricians.  We learnt she had a Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) called Scimitar Syndrome.  It all started to make sense, those moments she stopped breathing, the developmental delays, the failing to thrive and the numerous symptoms she often showed, at last we were finally getting answers.  Over the years, there were regular appointments and the specialists were happy with how our daughter was going but discussed that once she reached the age of 5 or 6 she may show signs of deterioration, which would then require Open Heart surgery. At age 6, at one our usual appointments, the Cardiologist discussed that he was taking her case to the Cardiology Medical Board for further discussion. A few days later, we learnt that the Surgeons and Specialists had decided that it was time for the surgery. In August of 2018, our daughter underwent a 9.5hr Open Heart Surgery and amazed us with her determination and positive attitude to get through. A couple of days after surgery, she had a slight turn and we learnt that she obtained some nerve damage during surgery, which Paralysed her diaphragm. Thankfully over the last year, the nerve has appeared to have healed itself.  She has also had a couple of other issues arise over the year but she is still doing amazingly and will continue to have regular appointments to monitor her health and the current issues with her condition that she has. We are grateful for the RCH and the Medical teams we have had and will continue to have that do everything they can for our daughter, they are amazing. Our girl is a little Trooper and amazes us everyday and we couldn't bear the thought if something were to happen to her. All of this got us thinking, what if our daughter's heart went into SCA whilst at school, so a few months ago we started looking into and seeking advice on Defibrillators. Although the teacher's are First aid and CPR trained a Defibrillator can actually save a life. The closest Ambulance station is almost 40km away, there are first responders in the area but they are still about 20km away. Although the local fire station (which is about 1km away) has a Defibrillator, it is still time consuming to get there. When a Cardiac Arrest occurs, every second counts and those extra minutes it takes to get to the fire station, collect the unit and get back to the school and set it up, can be the difference between a life saved or not. We believe having a Defibrillator within arms reach at schools (especially Rural) is important as every minute really does count when it comes to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Whether it be for a child or an Adult, a Defibrillator can help to save a life if it is ever needed. After researching the various types of Defibrillators and discussing our needs with AED Authority Australia, we decided on the CR2 Essential which is a Fully Automatic Defibrillator that switches from child to adult with the simple push of a button. We are thankful to AED Authority for the support they have shown towards our fundraiser and for the help they have given us to put a Defibrillator kit together at a discounted price to make our fundraising goal easier to achieve. "AED Authority Australia is an industry leader in the supply and management of defibrillators. Stocking a large number of brands, AED Authority will always find the right device for your organisation". We are also thankful to the Westpac Bank for their support and assistance to get our fundraiser up and running. Please note: This is a personal fundraiser organised for the purpose that our daughter can donate a Defibrillator to her school and possibly a second unit to another school.  Even though Cape Clear Primary School will be the recipient of the Donated Defibrillator, the Fundraiser itself is not organised nor conducted by Cape Clear Primary School!