On an ordinary morning at home in Mölnlycke, Ellen Weidow was helping her three-year-old daughter brush her teeth when she suddenly felt that something was wrong.
– My heart raced and my husband, who saw that it was serious, asked if he should call an ambulance and I said: Yes, call!, she says.
When he returned with the phone, Ellen was lying unconscious on the floor at her daughter’s feet. Her heart had stopped.
“Scary but better to know”
At the same time, not far away, Isak Wessman was lying in bed when his mobile phone suddenly started to ring.
He threw on his clothes, put on his shoes without socks and ran away from home.
– It’s scary to think that you can get a cardiac arrest alarm all of a sudden, but for me the thought was just as scary that I wouldn’t have a clue if the neighbor next door is dying and that I could help if I only knew, says Isak Wessman.
Once there, Isak replaced Ellen’s husband in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Shortly afterwards, another SMS lifesaver, the emergency services and an ambulance arrived. Ellen’s heart started beating again after 15 minutes.
Need for more lifeguards
The SMS lifesaver system has existed since 2010 and is based on an app that alerts volunteers with knowledge of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the event of suspected cardiac arrest. Those who are closest receive an alarm in the app via the alarm center.
Anyone who has completed an education can register. Today there are 150,000 registered users in Sweden, but the need is greater, especially in rural areas.
Several campaigns are now underway around the country to get more volunteer SMS lifeguards.
– We need more people who can step out and help. They have a great meaning. They are there before the ambulance in 50 percent of the cases and we know that early CPR increases survival, says Joacim Olsson, coordinator for SMS lifesaving in the Västra Götaland region.