
Advocate Spotlight: Canen Dickman
An AED Saved My Life
by Canen Dickman
It happened a year ago. I was 15 years old when I went into cardiac arrest. I can’t remember any of it – but have heard the story many times. That day, soccer practice started like any other. We were warming up by running around the track when I collapsed. My coach ran over, realized I didn’t have a pulse and called 911. He started CPR while my assistant coach ran to the school to get the AED. After three rounds of CPR, the AED arrived. My coaches used it and brought me back to life before the ambulance got there.
I spent 10 days in the hospital and after a lot of tests, I had surgery to implant what’s called an internal cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Now, if my heart ever stops again or goes out of rhythm, my ICD will give me an electric shock and fix my heartbeat.
I’m lucky that I go to a school where an AED was available and that my coaches knew what to do when I collapsed.
I want every kid to have that opportunity if they go into cardiac arrest. Now thanks to a new law in Ohio, they will. House Bill 47 requires that every school in our state have both AEDs and Cardiac Emergency Response Plans, so that teachers and other staff know what to do if someone goes into cardiac arrest.
Today, I can still do everything I love, like play soccer, and I’m so thankful for that. I only hope that more kids are able to do the same thanks to this life-changing legislation.