A Northern Ireland woman, who lost her dad to a fatal heart attack almost two months ago, is now campaigning for better access to defibrillators.
David Richmond from Newtownabbey died suddenly just ten days before Christmas 2024 at the age of 44. He was rushed to Royal Victoria Hospital but tragically passed away.
His death came just weeks after a family holiday to Egypt, leaving his wife Lynsay, 40, and their three children - 21-year-old Kailey, Jessica aged 18 and 13-year-old Jacob - shattered.
READ MORE: 'A heart of gold': Tributes to young NI mum after tragic death on holiday
READ MORE: NI woman on moment her husband's heart stopped during cardiac arrest
Now his family are raising funds in his memory to purchase defibrillators for the local community and more awareness about The Circuit app, which informs NHS staff about the location of devices.
David took ill with a sudden and unexpected cardiac arrest on the evening of Sunday, December 15 while watching the Celtic v Rangers game.
His family called 999 and after being instructed over the phone by the ambulance service, a relative reached their closest '24 hour defibrillator', only to find it to be locked behind closed gates.
Kailey told Belfast Live: "Defibrillators are something none of us put enough thought into and until our family needed one. My daddy passed away that Sunday night and I believe that if we had got access to the defibrillator when we needed it before the ambulance arrived, he would still be here with us.
"One minute he was watching the football and the next he took a pain in his back and was swinging his arm about. Our hearts are broken and we would never wish this pain on another family because it was such a traumatic experience
"My daddy was failed so now we want to raise awareness of how important The Circuit app is and make sure all defibrillators are registered to it and that all the information is correct regarding times and locations are kept up to date."
The family are now setting up the David James Richmond Foundation, to provide more defibrillators in Newtownabbey and beyond in a bid to help others who may need access to the life-saving equipment in a medical emergency.
They have also ordered eight devices, which will be available 24 hours a day, having raised over £10,000 in the past month through GoFundMe.
A charity night will also take place in the 1st Newtownabbey Linfield Supporters’ Club (6 Innis Park Newtownabbey) on March 15. Tickets for the event are priced at £5, with all monies raised going to the defibrillator fundraising campaign.
You can still donate to the fundraiser here.
Be is your home for all things lifestyle - from health and beauty, to work life and parenting, careers and cooking to fashion and features, and everything in between.
So to make sure you don't miss out on the things that matter to you, we've created a brand-new newsletter pulling the best of Be's content together twice a week.
To sign up, simply enter your email address here and we'll do the rest.
For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our Be lifestyle newsletter for all the latest showbiz, fashion, beauty, family features and more.
English (United States) ·