CPR Training For Students Increases Confidence After Collapse Of Danish Footballer

Tollbar Academy PE Teacher Miss Deanna Black (centre) delivers CPR training to Year 9 students (left) Isabelle Allenby (14) and (right) Amelia Bye (14).

CPR training for Tollbar Academy students in all Year Groups is underway following the collapse of Danish footballer Christian Eriksen live on TV.

Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during the Euros Denmark-Finland match, which was being televised throughout Europe. Seeing the 29-year-old football superstar collapse affected many people, not least because of his youth and apparent fitness. 

Eriksen was taken to hospital and has since had successful surgery to insert an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), which can shock his heart into action if the same thing happens again. But the incident has brought the issue of cardiac arrests among young people to the fore. 

Teaching staff realised many students were affected by seeing this and how important it was to reassure them by giving them the skills to help if they ever find themselves in a similar situation.

The Academy works with the British Heart Foundation to conduct CPR training with Year 8 students each year as part of the curriculum. Last week teachers took part in a refresher course before delivering cardio-pulmonary resuscitation lessons to all students in PE theory lessons over the coming days.

Rob Cowie, one of the PE Teachers who has been delivering the training, said: “What happened with Eriksen in front of the whole of Europe has made this training even more important.

“Thankfully incidents like this are rare, but they can happen in school, or when students are out with young siblings, or even in a PE lesson. If the students ever find themselves in that situation, the CPR training will provide them with the basis for responding in a way which can hopefully improve outcomes for patients. The feedback from students has been extremely positive.”

Year 9 student Isabelle Allenby (14) said: ”I was watching the football on TV and it was really distressing. I think the scariest bit of it was because Eriksen was so fit and young. I feel that this training gives me a bit more confidence if this was to happen in front of me that I would know what to do.”

Amelia Przeniczny (13) agreed: She said: ”This can happen anywhere and to know when to do this and how to do it fast can save a person’s life.”

Mia Waters (14) said: “You always think when it happens that it will be an older person, but seeing this made me realise it can happen to anyone. I feel more confident knowing that I have some idea of what to do if it does.”

Tollbar Academy students take part in CPR training to improve their skills and confidence following the collapse of Danish footballer Christian Eriksen.