Grieving daughter pleads to check defibrillators after dad's death

Louise Walsh

A heartbroken teenager is pleading for regular checks and maintenance of all automated external defibrillators (AEDs) after the sudden death of her father just over two weeks ago.

Shane Lawlor fell ill while out for a run with his wife Orla and, despite painstaking efforts by paramedics, later died.

However, his daughter, Niamh, on behalf of her family, said a defibrillator that passers-by rushed to get from the community failed to work.

The 16-year-old is now urging all premises that have the life-saving device to ensure that those responsible for the equipment get it checked regularly.

The 44-year-old father from Drumlish, Co. Longford, loved to run as well as play soccer with friends.

On Saturday, February 15th, he was 15 minutes into a run when he felt unwell.

"He told mam that his breathing was laboured and felt as if he was running on half a lung," said Niamh.

"Just a few minutes later, he turned to mam and said 'Oh God', and he collapsed.

"Mam had no phone on her so flagged down passing cars to ring an ambulance. One of the passengers in the car ran to the nearby GAA club to get the defibrillator and rushed back with it within five minutes, but the device was completely dead.

"Luckily, another woman who stopped knew CPR, so she started chest compressions and mam did mouth to mouth resuscitation until the paramedics arrived on the scene less than ten minutes later.

"Everyone was just amazing, but unfortunately, nothing could save my dad, and he passed away."

Niamh says that the defibrillator may not have made any difference in saving her father's life, but they will never know because it was not working.

"We won't know until the results of the post-mortem the cause of my dad's death. Maybe it wouldn't have made a difference, but maybe it would have, and maybe my brother Cian and I would still have our dad.

"What I do know is that the defibrillator wasn't working, and it should've been. We should have been able to try and use it on my dad to give him an extra chance of survival.

"I don't want another family rushing for a defibrillator in hundreds of places around Ireland, only to find it not working.

"I would plead with everyone who has this life-saving device on their premises to please, please make sure it is maintained regularly, and if it isn't your responsibility then call on whoever is in charge of it. It is there to possibly save a life, so let's make sure it is working properly so it can do that."

In a post on Social media, Shane's sister said: "My brother Shane loved life and put his heart and soul into his family and everything he cared about. Shane was a character and loved nothing better than a good laugh with his friends and family.

"He worked hard to give his family a good life. He was involved with many local sports teams and regularly got involved with local charity events to help any way he could, this was mainly doing what he loved, running.

"Shane collapsed from cardiac arrest just meters away from a public defibrillator. Tragically, we soon learned that the battery was dead, rendering the device useless in our moment of need.

"Apparently, this is not uncommon; there are AEDs throughout the country that are not working. The devastating loss of our brother has sparked a fire within our family to advocate for the regular maintenance and checks of defibrillators in our communities.

"Defibrillators are crucial in emergencies and can double the chances of survival. Please take a moment to find out where the nearest defibrillators are located in your community and check their status.

"The defibrillator may not have made any difference for Shane, but what if it did? Together, we can ensure that no one else has to go through what my family has experienced."

Local Ballinamuck-Drumlish First Responders have backed Niamh's appeal, saying, "We advocate to all communities and clubs to please take the time to check your defibrillators. This is vital lifesaving equipment that has been put in place with the best of intentions, but unfortunately gets overlooked.

"Unfortunately, this is a common problem throughout the country and we want to commend Niamh for highlighting this. Our community defibrillators are checked every two weeks, and each one has a logbook for the checks. We are happy to present an information evening educating people on how to check batteries and pads and show what to look out for.

"We completely acknowledge the heartache, devastation and suffering your family have endured, and we want to support you all in getting this vital message across the country."

In a statement, local GAA club Fr Manning Gaels says: "The club expresses its deepest sympathy to the Lawlor family on the sad passing of Shane, who was a terrific volunteer for our underage club, St Vincents and who helped fundraise for ourselves on many occasions.

"The club met with the Lawlor family this week and discussed the circumstances around Shane's passing and what the club can do to ensure something like this does not happen ever again.

"We urge all organisations which have an AED to learn from this tragedy and put a dedicated committee in place for the maintenance of their defibrillators on a fortnightly basis."