What to know
- Ben Stanton, a healthy and active 14-year-old, died of sudden cardiac arrest at school after his collapse was misinterpreted as an allergic reaction.
- Tricia Stanton is advocating for every Ontario school to have up-to-date AEDs and to train staff and students to recognize cardiac arrest and respond immediately.
- Many AEDs in schools have expired, and current preparedness measures aren’t enough to ensure safety.
- Quick recognition and response are critical—Tricia’s story shows that every minute counts when a child goes into cardiac arrest.
For Tricia Stanton, a Toronto mother, a regular school day turned into every parent’s nightmare when her son Ben collapsed and never returned home. Today marks World Restart a Heart Day, and Stanton is urging schools to be fully prepared—equipped with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and for staff and students to be trained to recognize the signs of cardiac arrest.
Ben was a healthy, 14-year-old teenager who loved sports.
“His first word was ball,” Stanton shared.
He played competitive soccer and captained the varsity volleyball team. Ben brought the community together through his love for sports.
“He was the type of kid who would go out and collect people in the neighbourhood to play a game because he needed the people… He was a beautiful, wonderful, loving soul… He doesn’t care who you are. He just wants to play the game… He made a lot of friends, and he was very supportive in a team environment because he wanted you to be able to be competitive with him,” Stanton told Now Toronto.
But his story ended too soon when he collapsed during lunch.
“His friends didn’t know what was happening, so they went to get teachers. They misinterpreted it as a peanut allergy or an anaphylactic reaction, and in reality, he was having a sudden cardiac arrest,” she said. “So, he died that day, at school.”
In honour of World Restart a Heart Day on Oct. 16, Stanton is raising awareness of cardiac arrest and advocating alongside Heart & Stroke Director of Health Systems and Policy in Ontario, Dr. Lesley James, for training on recognizing the signs of cardiac arrest, current AEDs, and knowledge of CPR.
Why are cardiac arrest measures important in schools?
There are over 20,000 cardiac arrests each year, and James explained many of these happen in schools.
James debunks a myth that the elderly are the only ones experiencing cardiac arrest, sharing that anyone at any age can experience it.
“Cardiac arrest is different than a heart attack. It’s when the heart suddenly, unexpectedly stops beating. It’s almost like an electrical problem where the breaker switch to your heart is switched off, and then your heart can no longer pump blood to the brain and other vital organs,” she explained.
Students, teachers, and anyone inside a school may experience a cardiac arrest — especially since schools are often a community hub.
“It’s really important that schools are equipped with AEDs because students spend so much time in the school setting. We also have visitors coming into the school… you also have after-school activities, elections coming up, parent meetings, teachers, so many people are in and out of schools all day long,” James explained.
With an AED, bystanders might be able to help instead of waiting 10-15 minutes for an ambulance — minutes that can make a serious difference in saving someone’s life.
What measures do schools currently have in place for cardiac arrest preparedness — and why is it not enough?
In 2011, the Ontario Provincial Government announced a $10 million fund to deploy 2,050 AEDs across public access settings, such as schools.
But James James said AEDs typically have a 15-year shelf life, so many have expired.
So, she and Stanton are advocating changes to Bill 141 regulations, hoping for funding to have AEDs in every school across Ontario and maintenance to ensure they are up to date with working batteries and pads, and to teach students and staff in the curriculum how to use them and recognize the signs of cardiac arrest.
Stanton’s also advocating to implement Heart & Stroke’s 45-minute interactive video cardiac arrest course as part of training and awareness.
She emphasizes, “It’s minutes they have. Not 10 or 15 minutes while you figure out what’s going on.”
That’s why she’s advocating for better awareness and information about sudden cardiac arrest, what it looks like, and to call 911 right away.
“Having that awareness right away would have been helpful because those people who were right around him could have started the response immediately, and unfortunately, it was not seen as that. We don’t know if there had been the proper response, if the outcome would have been different,” Stanton said.
