Cal Cordes The big grin on the face of seven-year-old Cal Cordes is a living testimonial to the importance of defibrillation. Cal, who has a heart disease known as cardiomyopathy, has been given a new lease on life thanks to Laerdal and St John Ambulance. In early July the Cordes family learnt of Cal's life threatening illness. His mother M put out a call for help after learning that Cal's best chance of survival following a cardiac arrest was prompt access to a defibrillator. The cost of purchasing the machine was beyond that family's means. 'Doctors said to us that an internal pacemaker was not appropriate for Cal and that we would need to purchase a portable defibrillator', says Mrs Cordes. 'Unfortunately there is no government or private medical subsidy for these life saving machines'. Laerdal donated an automatic external defibrillator worth $4,000 to the Cordes family after becoming aware of young Caleb's condition. St John Ambulance provided training in how to use a defibrillator to Caleb's family and teachers. A smiling Cal says: 'I can now run around more and not have to worry as much'. © Lorem Ipsum Dolor 2010 Made with Xara The HeartStart Foundation ABN 30 284 021 508 Donations (tax deductible) can be made to: Rotary Club of Williamstown, PO Box 111, Williamstown 3016, Victoria, Australia The HeartStart Foundation A project of the Rotary Club of Williamstown