Life-saving devices unveiled in Derbyshire locations after sudden death of 'amazing, kind' man

Defibrillators have been installed at three Derbyshire locations near rural areas after the death of a much-loved man.
By Michael Broomhead
Published 20th May 2019, 13:02 GMT
Lee Dodd, who sadly passed away in August 2017. Picture submitted by family.Lee Dodd, who sadly passed away in August 2017. Picture submitted by family.
Lee Dodd, who sadly passed away in August 2017. Picture submitted by family.

Danielle Dodd and her mother Joanne started a charitable trust called Lee's Footsteps last year to raise money for public-access defibrillators to be introduced in rural locations and in places where emergency access may be restricted.

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The trust was launched in memory of Lee Dodd - Danielle's father and Joanne's husband - who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while out dog walking in Renishaw in the summer of 2017.

Danielle and Joanne Dodd with the defibrillator they have provided outside the Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley. Picture by Eric Gregory.Danielle and Joanne Dodd with the defibrillator they have provided outside the Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley. Picture by Eric Gregory.
Danielle and Joanne Dodd with the defibrillator they have provided outside the Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley. Picture by Eric Gregory.
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Despite the very best efforts of passers-by, the ambulance service and the air ambulance, Mr Dodd sadly passed away. He was just 51-years-old.

Danielle, 26, of Renishaw, said: "My dad was an amazing, kind man.

"He had no previous health conditions so what happened was completely unexpected.

"Both myself and my mother wanted to learn from my dad's tragic death and look to help others - as my dad would have definitely done had he survived.

Danielle and Joanne Dodd with the defibrillator they have provided outside the Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley. Picture by Eric Gregory.Danielle and Joanne Dodd with the defibrillator they have provided outside the Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley. Picture by Eric Gregory.
Danielle and Joanne Dodd with the defibrillator they have provided outside the Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley. Picture by Eric Gregory.
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"We soon realised that the lack of a nearby defibrillator significantly reduced the chances of him being successfully resuscitated," added nurse Danielle, who ran the London Marathon last month - raising more than £2,000 for the charitable trust.

So far the trust has installed three public-access defibrillators in three locations close to rural areas after various fundraising events - one is placed on the front of The Sitwell Arms in Renishaw, one is at the Angel and Harlequin Bistro Spinkhill and one is at the Devonshire Arms in Middle Handley. It is hoped a fourth will be installed at Rother Valley in the near future.

A defibrillator is a device which gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest. This high energy shock is called defibrillation and is an essential life-saving step in the chain of survival.

The trust has also held a CPR and defibrillator training session too and plan to conduct more in the near future.

If you would like to support Lee's Footsteps, visit Lee's Footsteps on Virgin Money Giving.

Related topics:DerbyshireChesterfieldCPRRother Valley