Nicholas' Heart Fund

"AEDs save lives. Maybe Nicholas' story can prevent others from dying too soon, much too soon." - Dr. Stephen DePasquale, Nicholas' father.

Like most 11-year-old boys, Nicholas DePasquale liked to play and have fun. He was an honor student, a quarterback for his local football team, and a great playmate for his big sister and two little brothers. But on October 6, 2004, without any warning, Nicholas collapsed and died from sudden cardiac arrest.

Nicholas' father, a physician, was unable to revive his son using CPR. Nicholas might have been revived if an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) had been available.

In his memory, the Nichols' Heart Fund has been established to help save the lives of others who are affected by sudden cardiac arrest by making AEDs readily available in public places where groups of people gather. More about Nicholas

"If we place AEDs in areas where groups of people commonly gather, more lives can be saved." "AEDs are safe, effective and an easily learned method of treating victims of cardiac arrest." "And the sooner defibrillation is started, the more likely a person will survive."

- Gregg S. Shander, M.D., Chattanooga Heart Institute