WAAY 31 Beating the Odds: Shoals mother advocates for heart health, CPR kits in schools
All day we've shared stories of heart survival-- sharing the many ways heart disease has impacted our community and ways the American Heart Association is fighting to raise awareness and save lives. Together we're Beating the Odds.

On WAAY 31 Morning News we gave you a look at the initiative to get CPR kits in schools and to other organizations in the community. One Shoals mother shares how these lifesaving tools designed to help educate all of us, helps her family.

"My husband and I have a 10-year-old son named Luke, who was born with a heart condition that caused him to need a heart transplant at 18-months old," explained Emily Reaves.

Earlier this month, Emily and her family celebrated Luke's 9th heart anniversary.

"Yes we have a wonderful, healthy donor heart beating in his body," she expressed, "(but) his heart and body are different from other kids. So, putting him out of our comfort zone of us being around him all day every day and sending him off to school, knowing what he could be at risk for, has always been on our mind."

The delivery of CPR kits to Florence Middle School helps ease those worries.

"I think it should be encouraging to our community to know there are these packs put together for these kids to learn- one to be able to learn how to help someone who could be in trouble, and also giving that group, that building, that school tools to learn and give safe efficient CPR."

Emily is now an advocate for heart health and encourages others to learn CPR. In fact, she was part of the team that delivered the kits to the school.

"When we got to drop off the CPR kits at Florence Middle School we got to get a group of kids in there. At first they were a little hesitant, but just giving them a chance to jump in there, to learn how to do chest compressions, and understanding what situation would lead to death, that can make a difference not only in school, but at the grocery store, shopping centers, things like that. Just knowing if you come into contact with an issue like this, you might know how to help."

Empowering future lifesavers through Hands-Only CPR.

The donation at Florence Middle was made possible by B H Craig Construction.

The goal now is to find sponsors to help provide even more kits to schools and other organizations in the community to help encourage others to learn hands-only CPR.

Remember, together we're Beating the Odds.