LANSING, Mich. — The story of Wes Leonard is one that is well known to West Michigan. Wes was a multi-star athlete at Fennville High School. His talent on the court was shown when Wes hit the game-winning shot in overtime to give his team an undefeated regular season.
One moment, he was being hoisted into the air by teammates. The next, he was on the ground, and a few minutes later, he was dead.
That happened March 4, 2011. Now 13 years and a day later, the story of Wes Leonard was brought to the halls of the Michigan State Capitol with a call to action.
Two new pieces of legislation aim to prevent more stories like this from happening. House Bill 5527 requires schools to create a comprehensive cardiac emergency response plan and offer training, and all schools must have an AED that’s accessible within one to three minutes.
"The point here too is about standardization of the response and training for that response," says bill sponsor Rep. John Fitzgerald of Wyoming.
"In that example of Wes Leonard, having that device in a storage closet that had not been appropriately charged — that’s what we’re trying to prevent, that there’s some familiarity to the response, so that in a crisis, there’s more of a plan of action than not."
In addition to HB 5527, HB 5528 says all coaches must not only be CPR certified as is currently required but also trained in AED use.
Rep. Tyrone Carter of Detroit, sponsor of HB 5528, says not passing these laws would be negligent.
"There's an old saying: we'd rather have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. We can work on the logistics. But I think that if we do this, this is a huge step toward that peace of mind and that safety."
During Tuesday morning's testimony, a University of Michigan freshman counts himself as one of the lucky ones.
In high school, Alex Bowerson was a three-sport athlete from Memphis, Michigan.
In December 2022, Alex was running and then collapsed, going into cardiac arrest.
"I was only in a terrible rhythm for about two minutes before that AED shocked me," says Alex. "It led to an incredible outcome and I would not be alive today if it was not for this AED and for someone who knew what to do."
The common denominator between all of these stories: timing is everything. Alex says living in a rural area, the ambulance took 15 minutes to arrive.
Dr. Alyssa Vermeulen, a pediatric cardiologist with the University of Michigan – Mott Children's Hospital, also testifed in support of the bill, and says the best chance of survival is within the first three minutes, adding that every minute after that, the survival rate drops by 10%.
"I also would want to mention knowing Alex's story that the AED used on him was nearly dead, with malfunctioning pads that were expired and had one shock left. Had he needed another shock, he wouldn't be here today."
The legislation is supported by organizations like the American Heart Association (AHA), especially after Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field last year. The NFL says that sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes.
According to the AHA, every year nearly 360,000 people experience cardiac arrests outside of hospitals. Of that, only about 10% survive because only 40% of people get the immediate help they need before emergency responders arrive.
The AHA also says that having an emergency response plan can more than double survival rates, and 9 out of 10 people with cardiac arrest who receive a shock from AEDs within the first minute live.
After Tuesday's testimony, the next steps would be a vote to advance the bills out of the House Regulatory Reform committee.
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