Save a Life donate their 9th defibrillator to a school in Alhaurin el Grande in the name of little Milas

In 2022 a 2-year-old boy was rushed to hospital in a critical condition from a home in Coin, in the Malaga region, suffering signs of drowning. In spite of a neighbour having attempted CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for what he describes as “what must have been half an hour”, the hospital decided to switch the toddler’s life support machine off after no brain activity was detected. It is possible if there had been a defibrillator at or near the site, Milas James Valintin might have had a small chance of survival.

A heartfelt tribute to Milas

On Thursday, March 12, Milas’ parents, brother and sister oversaw the installation of a new defibrillator at the Emilia Olivares School, generously paid for by John Peavoy, a local expat resident. Milas’s father said, “All I ever wanted was to do something in his name – a single defibrillator – as a positive outcome from such a tragic event.” Also overseeing the installation, they were accompanied by Gerry and Jenny Hannam of Save a Life and their daughter Charlotte, who has two sons at the same school.

Cardiac arrests can strike at any time in life, not in just the elderly, which goes to show the importance of their availability, especially in areas such as schools surrounded by such a high concentration of people. Training is not essential, as recorded spoken instructions on their use are emitted from the machines. That said, the pupils of Emilia Olivares School eagerly received the basics of CPR from a group of female trainers at the school employed by the local council to go to schools and sports establishments to train CPR. Gerry Hannam and singer Beni Nelm, both already well-versed in the subject, were also in attendance, seeing the kids get a head start in life in the essential techniques of saving lives. Later, the children would show what they had learnt in the courtyard in front of everyone, singing a special CPR song to help them remember the procedure.

Hannams and Save a Life celebrated

Once properly installed, the official inauguration took place on Friday, March 13, with headmistress Eva María Durán, around 200 children, teachers and parents. Mrs Durán explained to all gathered how rare it is and how lucky they are to have a family like the Hannams to contribute so much to society by helping others, something many in Andalucia were unaccustomed to. This was naturally followed by rapturous applause. The children themselves had been all week preparing for the day and learning about the importance of CPR and defibrillator use to save lives. Durán hopes for other schools and education centres in the Malaga region to be inspired and adopt the defibrillator.

In honour of Milas, everyone hopes that the new defibrillator will never need to be taken from its wall-mounted casing and used. But, should it ever be needed, it is there, and the pupils and staff of the school, as well as the officers at the local adjacent police station, know it is there and the basics of how it should be used.

Spain is behind many other European countries when it comes to available defibrillators, and sometimes ambulance services arrive too late. Save a Life are currently organising courses in CPR and AED use with the pros from Diving With Nic at Finca Naundrup in Calahonda, Mijas, a professionally run and utterly fascinating course on saving lives. Contact Daniela Wenk on Facebook at the “Sitio de Calahonda Q&A” Facebook group. The course is only €35, and one day may help you to save lives too.