Speaker inspires students at Heartskate event

The Skating Club held its annual HeartSkate event at Logitech Ice Rink on May 24. It included a silent auction as well as skating.

According to senior club president Katie Wang, 60 people attended the event—more than last year.

“I did not know how to skate, but I had a lot of fun,” said senior TT Tu.

Cardiac arrest survivor Jack Grogan appeared at the event and spoke about the importance of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED). Grogan was rushing to catch a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Hartford to see his family. The last thing he remembered was catching the plane was waking up in a hospital. On the plane, he had stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating. A flight attendant attached AED pads onto his chest. With just one shock, his heart was restarted. With more AEDs installed public places, Grogan believes more lives can be saved.

Wang said that the event went well, raising $2,000 with donations still coming in.

The money goes to the American Heart Association, Heart Rhythm Foundation, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association and the Global Ischemia Fund.