Pearls From Our Dare To Save A Life Campaign
In May this year, we launched the national Dare To Save A Life campaign At The Heart of The Matter. Two key takeaway points were:
- Cardiac arrest can happen in fit, young people. This debunks the myth that it only occurs after heart attacks in old, male, smokers with high blood pressure.
- Cardiac arrest usually happens to people we know around us, rather than strangers. Be prepared to save loved ones at home, colleagues at work or even friends you train with at marathons.
With these in mind, we planned a strategic roadshow encouraging young families and athletes to dare to save a life. We collaborated with Neue Fit to hold the event at Kallang Wave Mall on 18th August from 10am to 8pm. I attended it with M2 & M3 and their schoolmate.
DARE X Neue Fit
Family Time
The event advertised that as our hands have great power, we can train them to pack a powerful punch as well as save a life.
Therefore, participants were encouraged to complete the CPR/AED challenge as well as fitness challenges. The reward for completing all the challenges was a free acai cone as well as a free trial fitness session of Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, HIIIT or yoga from Neue Fit.
I was thrilled to see families gathering to learn together. Not only did they learn CPR, but they also executed Muay Thai kicks, boxed and battled ropes. More importantly, they all had fun.
Fun With Fitness
At 12noon, fans were treated to a chance to watch their favorite Fly Entertainment artistes in action. TV presenter Nikki Muller and actors Noah Yap & Adele Wong, attempted the fitness challenges with me. We all had good laugh with celebrity trainer Radeem Rahman, not to mention a good work-out.
CPR Tips
The final station was the DARE team’s station. On reviewing these photos, I’m glad for three key points that they illustrate:
- Notice the great position that Nikki is in; elbows straight, leaning in with her body weight, shoulders over hands.
- When Noah places the AED pads on, Nikki’s hands do not stop chest compressions. She continues until the AED voice prompt tells her to stay clear when it is reading the rhythm. She stays clear again when Noah presses the shock button.
- CPR is tiring. After two minutes, Noah takes over from Nikki. You shouldn’t rely on only one person to do CPR continuously.
Download Our DARE App
After the challenges, we gathered together to chat with the crowd.
Adele shared that a member of her family had died from cardiac arrest, a tragedy that prompted her to learn CPR. We agreed that this is important because there isn’t time to wait for an ambulance to arrive. Since cardiac arrest can result in brain damage and death within minutes, bystanders should take action immediately.
Nikki asked about the DARE app and I was happy to share that it’s free to download and available on iPhones and Androids. There are cartoon tutorials and a booking function for DARE classes at community centres. You can even use it to call 995 for the ambulance and locate your nearest AED. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/new-mobile-app-dares-ordinary-singaporeans-to-save-lives-of-cardiac-arrest-victims
That day, I knew the crowd was encouraged by their favorite celebrities enthusiastically learning along with them. In fact, fans lined up for photographs and stayed on to learn CPR. I hope they continue to review the cartoon tutorials on our app and keep their skills fresh. After all, you never know when you might encounter a cardiac arrest and have to dare to save a life.
