An automated external defibrillator has been donated to St. Anne School by Kim Reuther, a mother turned advocate who hopes that the device may be used to save a life. Reuther lost her 16 year old son in May of 2012 when Brock was playing volleyball and collapsed during a high school game in Fairview, Alta. Brock ended up passing away a short time after collapsing, and the teen had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest that was fatal. The high school had an automated external defibrillator on site but the staff was not fully trained and intimately familiar with how the unit worked so it was not used on Brock while school officials were waiting for paramedics and first responders to arrive.

Kathy Reuther donated the automated external defibrillator to St. Anne School in the hopes that the school staff will become familiar with the unit so that it will be used if it is ever needed. Reuther explained “I’m trying to raise awareness that yes it happens (and) it’s much more common than you think.” According to the statistics sudden cardiac arrest occurs every 12 minutes among Canadians, yet many are unaware of this condition or what to do if it happens. Kim Reuther also said “Right after I heard about Will Kristman, I thought, what a powerful thing to donate an AED to this school. We need to do something about these kids. Do something positive and proactive and make the school community part of the solution.” Will Kristman suffered from sudden cardiac arrest as a student at St. Anne School on February 5, 2013 when he was on a school field trip.