Another Mikey’s Kids Family Gains Peace of Mind

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We’re happy to share that another happy family has received a MIKEY defibrillator through our Mikey’s Kids program!

Over the weekend we met with Sandy and Brian, parents of Harmony, our newest MIKEY Kid’s recipient. Above is a beautiful shot of their entire family, who were all delighted by the generosity of the gift, but none more so than Harmony who couldn’t stop smiling during our visit.

The family was very engaged and had many questions for us as we sat down to talk them about their new MIKEY. We walked them through our procedural booklet and are happy to say that they’re keen on learning more, because of which we’re currently working to set up more training opportunities with them in the future.

We’re also happy to share that Harmony’s school has an AED, which allows her family further peace of mind while she’s out of the home.

For parents with children who have heart problems, having a portable defibrillator can literally be life-saving. Knowing that an AED is on hand and ready to help save their child’s life gives so much peace of mind.

We know the first few minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest event is critical to increasing chances of survival. Our Mikey’s Kids program allows children with a high risk of SCA lead a happier, healthier and more active life. These portable MIKEYs can be taken along with them anywhere – at home, at school and at play.

You can learn more about the Mikey’s Kids program and read the testimonials from Mikey Families themselves here. You can also help give these families peace of mind by donating to The Mikey Network directly.

The Benefits Of The Mikey Young At Heart Program

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As students head back to school there is often a lot to occupy their time during the first few weeks of the semester. They’re catching up with friends, joining clubs, and beginning their studies. All of these activities are highly important while progressing through high school, but one that should be added is learning about how to save a life.

To help your child get back into learning mode, as well as learning about the proper procedures for saving a life, we recommend that they sign up to the Mikey Young At Heart App. Now is the perfect time to do so, as they won’t be overwhelmed with a course schedule, as well as the many other activities that occupy kids when they head back to school.

The app which was created to provide your child with an understanding of CPR procedures and how to use an AED, is taught through instructional videos that they can view at their own pace. Not only is the app easy to use, the hours accumulated on it also count towards their volunteer hours that they will need to earn during the semester.

The best part about the app is that you can access it anywhere, so whether your child is at home relaxing, or studying with friends; they can keep learning.

Don’t just take our word for how great the Mikey Young at Heart app is, ask our friend Kayley Baker, who this past year helped to save the life of an elderly man in downtown Toronto thanks to her training on the app.

I was walking in downtown Toronto on Labour Day Monday with my grandmother when we noticed people making a fuss. There was a man on the ground and he was blue in colour. Automatically I knew something was wrong!

My grandmother grabbed my backpack and I knelt down beside him to perform CPR. I got to just over 30 compressions and he started to make a wheezing noise. There were people standing around but nobody else knew how to properly perform CPR.

I knew CPR because I went through the Mikey Young At Heart App. Going through the videos and quizzes gave me the confidence to act immediately and without fear. I knew what to do and I knew if I did it, this man would have a better chance of survival.”

Learn more about Kayley’s story here.

Each year in Ontario, children and teens are among the 6,500 people who experience Sudden Cardiac Arrest. If administering CPR or an AED during an emergency like the one Kayley experienced, a person has a much higher chance of surviving. Sign up to the Mikey Young At Heart app today to learn how it can benefit your life and others.

Walk of Life: Mikey Families and Organizations

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Every year the Mikey Network helps to organize a team for the Walk Of Life. The annual event which you can do as a walk or a run is a wonderful way to spend your Saturday. There are tons of fun events that you can do with your family and all of the money that is raised by the Mikey Network’s team goes towards educational programs that advocate for heart health or placements of defibrillators to families or organizations.

As we lead up to the walk, we want to let those that have supported us see where their donations have gone. This week we’re talking about The Mikey’s Kids program and our donations to various organizations.

Mikey’s Kids Program

As a parent, your child’s safety is always a top of mind concern. You want to make sure that they’re always safe and looked after. As we’ve discovered with many families that we’ve dealt with, having a child with a heart condition can certainly be unnerving as it can feel like you’re helpless to protect them.

Can there be anything more terrifying than seeing a child collapse suddenly and stop breathing? And can you imagine the frustration of feeling helpless in such an emergency?

We wanted to help with this, and to give families peace of mind so that they’re not fearful of an emergency because of their child’s heart condition.

Families whose children are at high risk of SCA are provided with a MIKEY, a portable automated external defibrillator (AED), to carry with them at all times so their kids are protected at home, school or play.

Families that are in need of a MIKEY defibrillator reach out to our organization to apply. They’re then given to families, along with a set of instructions on how to use it and maintain the AED. The defibrillators that we provide would not be possible without the donations that are raised at the Walk of Life.

Organizations

The Mikey Network understands that a sudden cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, and for this reason, we want to make sure that they’re as readily available to the public as fire alarms and fire extinguishers are.

To accomplish this, The Mikey Network works with organizations in the community that are in need of a defibrillator. Their needs will vary from helping to save lives with a MIKEY defibrillator; to housing large-scale events with many attendees, such as a sports facility.

This past weekend we provided two new MIKEY’s to the Canadian Ski Patrol’s motorcycle division, which will help them to save lives in emergency situations. This division has been very successful,  saving two lives in 2016 with their MIKEY’s. Pictured below are Marion Karol, VP of Operations for Canadian Ski Patrol, and members of their team.

if you’re an organization that is interested in applying for a MIKEY, you can apply here. 

 

Walk of Life: Heart Health Education

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Every year the Mikey Network helps to organize a team for the Walk Of Life. The annual event which you can do as a walk or a run is a wonderful way to spend your Saturday. There are tons of fun events that you can do with your family and all of the money that is raised by the Mikey Network’s team goes towards educational programs that advocate for heart health or placements of defibrillators to families or organizations.

Heart Health Education

As we lead up to the walk, we want to let those that have supported us see where their donations have gone. This week we’re talking about Heart Health Education and the Mikey Young At Heart app, which helps teach high school students how to perform CPR and use a defibrillator. The students can then use the time that they have spent learning these life-saving skills, towards their educational volunteer hours.

Although the app is primarily geared towards high school students, it’s available for everyone to use.

To inform students about heart health and the app, we’ll often send out members of our team to schools in the Greater Toronto area. They’ll perform demonstrations on how to use a defibrillator while talking about the benefits of the app. Below are shots of our team explaining how a defibrillator works, last year, at the Castlebrooke Secondary School.

If you would like to learn more about the Mikey Young at Heart app, please follow the link. If you would like us to come to your school to talk about heart health and the MYAH app, please contact us at info@mikeynetwork.com

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Niagara Donates a MIKEY

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The Mikey Network was recently on hand to view the presentation of a MIKEY donation by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® St.Catharines and Niagara, to the Roma Soccer Club.

In attendance for the presentation was Cotie Drinkwater, General Manager of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® St.Catharines and Niagara; Martin Beswick, Roma Soccer President (middle), and Pete D’Elia, Roma Soccer Vice President (Right).

Roma Soccer is a soccer club based out of St. Catharines, Ontario, that organizes and coaches youth teams. They’re an organization that is very active in the community, and they strive to be a positive environment, provide supportive infrastructure, and to develop players physically, intellectually and socially through the sport of soccer.

Everyone here at The Mikey Network is touched by the donation of a MIKEY by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® St.Catharines and Niagara to an active community sports organization like Roma Soccer. We’re pleased to know there is one more MIKEY in the community ready to provide a second chance at life should the need arise.