Heart of the Nation, The World’s Largest CPR Class will go to air Saturday, October 16, at 3.00pm on Channel Nine and 9Now.
Coinciding with Restart a Heart Day, the broadcast hosted by Richard Wilkins is the passion project of original Yellow Wiggle and sudden cardiac arrest survivor, Greg Page.
In alignment with Greg’s Heart of the Nation charity, the program will break down the barriers of CPR and raise awareness of AEDs (Automatic External Defibrillators) in the life-or-death minutes following a sudden cardiac arrest.
Daniel Gay from Surf Life Saving Australia, introduced by world surfing champion Layne Beachley, will teach the CPR class, focusing on easy-to-learn techniques for adults and children. Demonstrations with cricket legend Brett Lee, Mitch and Mark from The Block and special guests will show just how easy it is for anyone and everyone to implement the critical chain of survival: CALL PUSH SHOCK.
Greg Page’s life changed forever when he fell to the ground during a Wiggles reunion show, suffering from a sudden cardiac arrest, and lived to tell the tale. The Today Show’s Allison Langdon relives that day with Greg, and for the first time we see original Purple Wiggle Jeff Fatt speak publicly on how the incident unfolded as he stood by with Greg’s parents watching on.
Greg says: “CPR is an essential part of the Chain of Survival. It can help save lives when someone is in cardiac arrest, as it did for me.
“A lot of people don’t know that you don’t have to be trained or qualified to try to save someone’s life with CPR, so the more people we have out in the community feeling confident and empowered to try means there will be more lives saved – because we’ll have more hands on chests when it matters most.”
Today co-host Karl Stefanovic, Today weatherman Tim Davies and Weekend Today co-host Rebecca Maddern speak to sudden cardiac arrest survivors and families who have lost loved ones to this unexpected killer. More than 27,000 Australians suffer from sudden cardiac arrest each year, and shockingly, 90 per cent do not survive.
Awareness, education and easy access to AEDs nationwide is the key to bringing down the high fatality rate of sudden cardiac arrests, because in most cases CPR alone isn’t enough.
Heart of the Nation, The World’s Largest CPR Class will give viewers the techniques to react effectively in the face of sudden cardiac arrest and give their loved ones, as well as strangers, the best chance of survival.
Viewers can also download a certificate of participation in Heart of The Nation, The World’s Largest CPR Class by scanning the QR code on the screen or heading to the Heart of the Nation website.