(Grand Cayman, December 11, 2019) With the help of Crighton Properties, Cayman Heart Fund recently donated an automatic external defibrillator (AED) to one of the Cayman Islands largest youth football clubs.

Having the AED onsite will now mean that the local football club has access to equipment in the case of emergencies which could literally help save a life.

“We are extremely grateful to the Cayman Heart Fund and Crighton Properties for this donation. Being prepared in case of an emergency within a sports environment serves a critical need,” said Mr. Paul Byles, Head of Youth Development at Academy.

The Heart Fund will also arrange to provide training to close to a dozen coaches and team managers at Academy on how to use the device.
Academy is one of the largest football programs on island with over 200 youth players aged 4 to 19 years old, in addition to its men’s team which participates in the CIFA Premier League.

“Given our environment with several hundred young players and parents present at many of our events I’m sure that this device will be appreciated by the entire Academy family.” said Mr. Martin Cooke one of the club’s directors.

Dr. Beraha, CHF Chairperson, said, “An AED is a lifesaving piece of equipment and when available during a cardiac arrest, it improves the chances of surviving and surviving without permanent damage. The permanent damage caused by a cardiac arrest can onset after as little as three minutes. The likelihood of survival decreases by as much as 10% for every minute past three after the event; this includes irreversible brain damage and even death.

We at the CHF are proud to have facilitated the donation of another AED to a high traffic area such as Academy Sports Field. Thanks to the generosity of Crighton Properties, Cayman has one more AED at a sports facility.

We look forwards to partnering with Academy for future trainings and health activities. The CHF encourages other sports facilities, and any facility, to consider buying an AED. With our AED program we are able to donate 1 AED to a facility in need for every 9 we sell to the private sector. Please call or email us to get more information on this and many other public programs we run”.

The Cayman Heart Fund (CHF) is a non-profit, non-government organization dedicated to the reduction of heart and circulatory disease in the Cayman Islands. Heart and circulatory disease, known as cardiovascular disease (CVD), is the number one health problem in the Cayman Islands. For more information contact: 345-916-6324 or [email protected].