A WOMAN has set up a fundraiser to help buy community defibrillators after her dad had both a heart attack and cardiac arrest.

Jodie Sutcliffe says her dad would not be here today if it wasn’t for life-saving CPR but added that the incident made her realise just how scarce defibrillators are in the area.

Working with the Rosegrove Neighbourhood Watch, Jodie wants to raise £2,500 to ensure there are two extra defibrillator units in her Burnley neighbourhood.

Lancashire Telegraph: Jodie and her dad (Photo: Jodie Sutcliffe)Jodie and her dad (Photo: Jodie Sutcliffe)

The incident took place last month after her dad, Michael Sutcliffe, finished his night shift.

Jodie, 24, said: “I heard screaming and commotion in the garden. Dad has stopped replying to mum and he was shaking.

“He was going blue, his ears blew up and I started to put him in recovery position while I put my thoughts together.

“My oldest brother called the ambulance straight away and we initially thought he was having a stroke.”

Along with her neighbour, Jodie started to perform CPR on her dad - something which is likely to have saved his life.

Medical professionals told the family that Michael needed a defibrillator, telling them the location of the nearest unit.

However, by the time a family member returned with the defibrillator the ambulance had already arrived as the unit was “quite a distance” from the house.

Thankfully, paramedics worked on Michael for around 20 minutes in the garden and kept him alive.

The family celebrated his birthday on the 4th of June and “felt so blessed, emotional and lucky” - but added that it “could have been a totally different story”.

Lancashire Telegraph: Michael and his family on his birthday (Photo: Jodie Sutcliffe)Michael and his family on his birthday (Photo: Jodie Sutcliffe)

The incident highlighted to Jodie and her family the importance of CPR - and also just how important these defibrillator units are.

According to Jodie, it also happened that two other people in the nearby area needed a defibrillator but only one was available.

Jodie said: “They need to be as common as fire extinguishers - they need to be everywhere.

“It’s crucial we get more. Once that defibrillator has been used it gets sent away. It can be days before it comes back.”

Ms Sutcliffe also talked about footballer Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at the weekend, citing that it can really happen to anyone.

She said: “Christian is 29 and a healthy footballer.

“My dad is only 54 and I still thought that was too young for a heart attack.

“Heart attacks (and cardiac arrests) can literally happen to anybody and it wasn’t until I had to go through it that I realised how important things such as defibrillators truly are.”

Lancashire Telegraph: (Photo: Jodie Sutcliffe)(Photo: Jodie Sutcliffe)

However, don’t just take Jodie’s word for it.

According to the British Heart Foundation for every minute it takes for the defibrillator to reach someone and deliver a shock, their chances of survival reduce by up to 10%.

Similarly, on 3 per cent of cardiac arrests happen within the recommended retrieval distance of a defibrillator, according to the Resuscitation Council (UK).

Jodie’s JustGiving page

Working with the Rosegrove Neighbourhood Watch, Jodie wants to raise £2500 in order to get some more community defibrillators.

To help raise money, Jodie and some of her friends will be walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks on 28th August.

If you would like to donate to the Just Giving page, you can do so online.