A fund, set up in memory of a 10-year-old schoolboy who died suddenly in his sleep in Bahrain last year, was officially launched yesterday.
The event also featured the announcement of community defibrillator locations across Bahrain and the distribution of nine devices to sport academies in the kingdom which is expected to benefit around 7,000 people who use these facilities.
Defibrillators are devices that apply an electric charge or current to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat. If the heart rhythm stops due to cardiac arrest, a defibrillator may help it start beating again.
A sudden cardiac arrest is fatal unless treated right away with CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and a defibrillator.
Elliott, a Year 5 student at St Christopher’s Saar campus, died tragically in his sleep at his home in Saar in the early hours of February 8 last year.
The stated cause was ‘Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC)’ – a medical term for a death that remains unexplained even after a thorough investigation, including an autopsy.
Doctors and medical professionals do not yet know what causes SUDC, how to predict it or how to prevent it although neurologists suggest convulsive seizures may be related to most sudden unexplained deaths in young children.
The ‘Elliott Walsh Defibrillator Fund’ was set up in partnership with Royal Life Saving Bahrain (RLSB) to provide Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) and lifesaving training across the kingdom.
Yesterday’s ceremony was organised by the RLSB at the Art Hotel and Resort in Amwaj Islands and attended by Elliott’s parents Kylee and Ian Walsh, RLSB chairperson Shaikha Nayla Bint Hamad Al Khalifa, and other members of the community.
The special event featured personal reflections, an introduction to the fund’s goals, and the announcement of the first locations in the kingdom that would receive the life-saving AEDs.
Shaikha Nayla distributed AEDs to representatives from nine sports academies and fitness centres – Juventus Academy, Tekkers Academy, Centraal Club, MJD Sports, A2Z Arabian Adventures, Aspire Gymnastics Academy, Ole Academy, Al Doy International Sports and Martial Arts Centre, and Iron Man Gym.
“Today, we distributed the devices to nine places which see about 7,000 people use their facilities on a weekly basis. We have trained employees for free to ensure that there is always at least one person who knows how to work the devices,” said RSLB general manager Sam Rahman.
He said that the fund was started as a community fund to not just honour young Elliott, but also to help others to avoid such a tragedy from recurring.
“Elliot’s football coach, Andy Collins, started to raise money to buy defibrillators,” Mr Rahman told the GDN.
“He got in touch with us at the RLSB to get some advice on how to practically do that.
“We recognised that what he tried to achieve aligns very closely with what we are trying to do.
“We got in touch with the family and launched the fund to not only provide training but also defibrillators across the country.”
A fundraising and awareness campaign was launched to raise £15,000 (around BD7,500) and more than £12,000 was raised within days.
The main goal of the fund is to increase access to AEDs to schools, sports venues and community hubs where rapid emergency response can make all the difference.
Through certified training sessions, RLSB empowers everyday people with the skills, knowledge and confidence to act quickly and effectively in crucial moments.
Mr Rahman stated that this is just the beginning, and that they plan to continue to distribute the devices around the kingdom as much as possible over the coming years to be able to save as many lives as possible.
In an emotional speech, Ms Kylee Walsh spoke of Elliott’s love for Bahrain and its people.
“He always considered himself Bahraini,” she said.
“He was born here and grew up here, so he thought to himself that he must be a Bahraini.
“We told him it doesn’t work like that, it was all about heritage, secretly, he always considered himself Bahraini.
“So we would like to thank Bahrain and its people for the love and support they’ve shown us for the past year, especially to the St Christopher’s community who continue to love and honour Elliot.”
Those looking to contribute towards the fund can do so via BenefitPay. Users should select ‘View All’ in Services, and select ‘Charity’.
Then they just need to search for RLSB, select General Donations, type in Elliott Walsh fund, and enter your phone number, name and amount you would like to donate.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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