ALL it takes is a few seconds for something to go horribly wrong.
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But the local sporting community has now been offered peace of mind with the donation of two defibrillators – one to Scone rugby league and the other to Scone Touch Football.
The defibrillators were generously presented to the organisation by the Joshua Caruso Foundation in Newcastle.
The foundation was set up to raise money and awareness of an undiagnosed heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).
For Joshua Caruso’s family, August 13, 2013 started as a normal Tuesday.
Josh woke up, got ready and headed off to school. On his way to the bus, Josh collapsed.
His heart had stopped. He died instantly.
Josh had HCM, a generic condition that causes the muscles in the heart to thicken. It has no symptoms; there was no indication that Josh’s heart was abnormal or that he was at risk.
Previously, he had been a happy, healthy 13-year-old.
He was a keen football player and represented his club at touch football.
Scone Touch Football representative David Macpherson said the defibrillators were extremely important additions.
“We’d like to say thank you to the foundation for making this donation,” he said.
“It’s something we hope that we’ll never have to use but it’s a huge comfort to know that they are there.
“They may end up saving a life.”
The defibrillators will be kept at Scone Park, which is mostly used for rugby league, and Bill Rose Sports Complex, where upwards of 1500 people compete in sports such as netball, hockey, soccer, athletics, cricket, and touch football.
