Aberdeen medic with family history of cardiac issues aims to equip city with defibrillators
Lee Findlay's Aberdeen Defibrillator Project aims to provide defibrillators to public spaces around the city.
An Aberdeen medic with a family history of cardiac issues has made it his mission to equip the city with defibrillators.
Lee Findlay has 24 years of experience working in healthcare and currently works as a senior auxiliary nurse in acute medicine at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The 40-year-old launched the Aberdeen Defibrillator Project in October 2024 - a cause that looks to provide automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to public spaces around the city.
He explained to Aberdeen Live that his passion for the project stems from his experience providing chest compressions during his job.
He said: "I hurt my back doing CPR duing an incident I responded to and had to stop for a time. When there were AEDs available, I was still in a position to contribute to emergency incidents.
"Defibrillators are the very top of any emergency equipment you can have. With the current strain on services, I want to put more AEDs out there so they're readily available to the public."
As a result of Lee's tireless fundraising, he has been able to provide the defibrillators to areas where they are most needed, including outside bars and pubs.
However, he is now looking to fund child-suitable AEDs to go outside areas where they would be most useful, including parks, the beach and the nearby Codona's amusement park.
He said: "I distributed the money I raised for the bars, clubs, and other areas they'd be needed.
"Codona's has chipped in for the heated box outside. With the amount of children on the beach, and the coming summer months, and the amount of people at parks, an AED with paediatric settings would be most beneficial.
"Other defibrillators have been placed in areas that ambulances struggle to get to quickly because of roadworks or heavy traffic, like on Market Street."
Explaining the physical challenges of doing manual labour, Lee said: " Recently, I was called to a cardiac arrest and I had to go into compressions, which are extremely taxing to do. After that, so much needed to be done.
"And since starting in November, I have heard story after story after story of people who had lost loved ones, but if there had been AED, they would have survived."
But the fundraiser is also personal for Lee, whose father suffered a cardiac arrest in 2015 and whose granny also received coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). Recently, he was also diagnosed with a cardiac condition.
He said: "Father had massive heart attack and I was recently diagnosed with a condition because of my family's cardiac history. It's something that is close to my heart."
To donate to the Aberdeen Defibrillator Project, visit the GoFundMe page here - https://gofund.me/4f1923e1.
Current defibrillator locations include; The Snuggery, The Old King's Way, Paramount, Molly Malones, Siberia Bar, Old School House, Foundry, O'Donoghues, The Grey's Inn and Codona's.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
'They treated us like animals!' Mother whose dream holiday to Turkey was destroyed when her son was rushed into 'mortuary'-esque hospital with 'excruciating stomach pain' reveals worst things about emergency care abroad
A mother's dream family holiday to Turkey was derailed after her son underwent emergency surgery in a horror hospital that resembled a mortuary.. Kay Bainbridge, from Rainham, Kent, was enjoying a family holiday to Turkey when her five-year-old son Layton began experiencing excruciating stomach pain. The panicked mother-of-three said she immediately sought medical attention from her Antalya hotel doctor but was told her son could not be seen without a large cash payment. The Kent native spent more than £1,270 on medical costs for her little boy and claims that her insurance company has yet to cover the cost. She has now set up a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of the emergency treatment and flights home after revealing the terrible reality of the emergency care they received. The mother and son flew out to Turkey with Kay's two other sons Kian and Kayson, her mother, brother, sister, and her children's father on May 14 for a family holiday. But while relaxing in Antalya, Layton, five, became extremely unwell and in the early hours of May 20 Kay found her little boy 'screaming in excruciating pain and vomiting'. The worried mother called the hotel doctor over who redirected her to a local clinic which Kay described as 'rundown' and added 'it was like going in to a mortuary.' The Kent native then explained that before her son had even been examined she was asked to pay up front costs of more than £1,000. Kay, worried for her son, handed over her last £250 which said was supposed to be for spending money for the last day or two of the holiday. She added that despite telling staff she had no more money left, they continued demanding more from her and she felt they became aggressive towards her. Kay said: 'They were still demanding £800 on top of the £200 and because I couldn't pay they got really angry and really aggressive.' Layton was then transferred to Baskent University Hospital in Alanya for further treatment and an operation on his intestines which had become twisted. But the mother-of-three said the care did not improve and during her stay she found the staff rude, the meals inedible and the care lacking in professionalism. The Kent local described how on route from the doctor's clinic to the hospital, paramedics fell asleep in the ambulance and Kay was left to watch over her son alone. 'While we were travelling there the paramedic was asleep, curled up in the back of the ambulance fast asleep for two hours on the way to the hospital while she was supposed to be taking care of Layton.' The Kent local described how on route from the doctor's clinic to the hospital, paramedics fell asleep in the ambulance and Kay was left to watch over her son alone Kay explained that upon her arrival, while Layton was taken immediately in to surgery, her and her son's passports were taken off them by hospital staff. The worried mother explained this left her in a panic. 'All this was going on like no one spoke English. I didn't have a clue what was going on. All I knew was that my son was going for surgery. I didn't know where or what was happening,' she said. After the surgery, Kay claims the hospital refused to let her son eat and the meals they did provide were awful. 'As a private hospital, you would expect something decent. I wouldn't even feed the food to an animal it was that bad. 'It was slop, literally just beans and rice, proper poor food,' Kay said. She went on to describe the treatment her son received as shocking and told MailOnline she watched medics anaesthetise Layton while he was still sitting in a wheelchair in the emergency room. She also said that her son was screaming and begging them to stop as they roughly inserted a cannula in to his hand that left the bed stained with blood. Kay said: 'Before the surgery they were putting cannulas in his arm and they were pinning him down while he was screaming, begging them to stop.' Kay also confessed she fears she may have signed away her son's organs during the process because she kept being handed forms in Turkish, without any translation After waiting in the hospital for her son to be deemed fit to fly, Kay told MailOnline the hospital believed they had lost her and Layton's passports and she was only able to recover them after threatening to get the police involved. Kay also confessed she fears she may have signed away her son's organs during the process because she kept being handed forms in Turkish, without any translation and struggled with the language barrier. 'I was getting made to sign things like things that weren't in English. I don't know what I was signing,' she recounted. 'I still don't know what I signed to this day. All I've been given is his medical report. No copies of anything that I've signed.' 'All this was going on like no one spoke English. I didn't have a clue what was going on. All I knew was that my son was going for surgery. I didn't know where or what was happening. In total Kay paid £1,270 for the emergency treatment for her son but her worries did not end there. Having run out of money, Kay and Layton were unable to stay in a hotel after being discharged. Although Kay said she contacted her insurance company, she claims they informed her they would be unable to cover the costs of a hotel stay for a further five days while Layton recovered and the mother confessed she and her five-year-old son were forced to sleep in the airport and book an earlier flight home. She said: 'My poor child had to spend eight hours on the cold floor in a Turkish airport because we had nowhere else to go.' Kay added that she made the best of the situation and pushed two chairs together to create a makeshift bed for Layton, who was still recovering from surgery, to sleep on. She added: 'It was either sleep on the streets with him, sleep in the airport for 5 days, or risk bringing him home.' The mother-of-three also had to pay £140 for flights back to the UK where the rest of her worried family waited for news. And the whole experience has had a lasting impact on her son. 'He's tramuatised. He keeps saying "Mum please don't ever take me back there" and he won't tell me he' s in pain because he think he's going to have to go back there, ' Kay revealed. Now back in the UK, Kay explained that in her son's first NHS hospital appointment she will ask for a full scan of her son's organs after finding worrying medical details on her son's paperwork. 'I'll have full scans to make sure he's got everything there, because on this paperwork it mentions that his appendix couldn't be seen. He's never had his appendix taken out.,' Kay said. 'And I've seen stories out there - that woman who had her heart removed. ' Earlier this month Beth Martin, 28, fell ill during a flight to Turkey. Initially blaming food poisoning, the mother-of-two from Portsmouth was taken to hospital where she tragically died a day later. In a sickening turn of events, a UK autopsy later revealed Beth's heart had been removed after she passed away in Turkey. The Ministry of Health in Turkey revealed Beth died after a 'cardiac arrest due to multiple organ failure' - but stopped short at explaining the exact cause of this and have not explained why her heart was missing. Kay added: 'A lot of people have told me they [Turkish surgeons] can just take the organs for their own right. And they don't need permission. It's worried me a bit, so I just want to make sure that I understand all the paperwork I've signed.'
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Pictured: Boy, 15, who drowned in river despite passers-by making desperate efforts to save him - as family warm others of open water dangers
A teenage boy who died after drowning in a river despite desperate attempts by passers-by to save him has been pictured for the first time. Police were called to help assist Lotus Bowker, 15, from Kirkham, Lancashire, who had got into difficulty in the water close to Garstang Cricket Club at 2.33pm on Saturday, May 17. After receiving CPR from members of the public on the riverbank, the teenager was then airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. However, despite medical personnel's best efforts, he sadly passed away the following morning. Following Lotus's tragic death, Maria Mercer, a friend of the young boy's family, launched a GoFundMe campaign in a bid to help 'give him the best send off'. Describing the devastating incident as an 'ordinary day' that 'quickly turned into an unimaginable nightmare', Ms Mercer added: 'Lotus was more than just a teenager - he was a son, a brother, a friend and a shining light in the lives of everyone who knew him. 'His smile could lift a room, and his energy was infectious. He had dreams, laughter to share and a whole life ahead of him. That future was stolen in a moment that will never be forgotten.' Given the tragic circumstances of their son's death, Lotus's family are now seeking to warn other youngsters about the dangers associated with swimming in rivers and open water. Remembering the life of their 'beautiful boy', a statement from the family on the fundraising page read: 'Sadly missed by his Mummy, Daddy, his brothers and sister deeply. Words cannot describe the pain we are going through'. Lotus's father, David, who also paid tribute to his 'lovely boy', said: 'He meant the world to me, my wife, daughter and four sons. 'I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Those waters aren't meant to be swam in.' David also advised any individuals, particularly young people, to 'think twice before visiting these dangerous locations', adding that they can often create 'costly cheap thrills' that should be avoided, irrespective of social pressures or a desire to be included. One local eyewitness, Nick Hill, previously told the BBC of the horrors that unfolded that fateful day, stating: 'The area was quickly cordoned off and I saw a police officer interviewing a tearful young girl among a group of backpackers'. Adding that the section of the River Wyre that Lotus had been swimming in 'is regarded by the Environment Agency as dangerous with several warning signs', he further remarked: 'It is a few yards beyond the flood control gate, a small area of invitingly calm water before a series of weirs.' The retired journalist also said that he had previously seen 'young boys leaping in from a high vantage point despite the obvious hazard'. Regarding the tragic incident, DI Adie Knowles, of West CID, said: 'First and foremost my thoughts remain with Lotus's loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. 'They have lost a son and a brother in the most tragic circumstances and I just want to echo David's words around water safety. 'I'd just ask that people think twice before going into rivers, reservoirs or any form of open water. You are unnecessarily putting your lives at risk, and I really don't want to have to knock on your parents door to tell them that you won't be coming home'. Any individuals with information related to Lotus's death should contact Lancashire Police on 101, quoting log 834 of May 17, 2025. It comes as new figures released on Wednesday by the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) indicated that 193 people died from water-related incidents across the UK in 2024 . Up to 84 per cent of the accidental water deaths were male, with inland waters, such as rivers, canals, lakes, reservoirs and quarries, accounting for almost all fatal incidents.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Sister comes to niece's rescue after her mum was killed in shocking murder-suicide
The grieving sister of a woman gunned down by her husband in a suspected murder-suicide has rushed to care for her nine-year-old niece. Krystel and James Paul, both aged 41, were found dead in their home in Mount Sheridan, south of Cairns, on Tuesday night. Police discovered the high school sweethearts' bodies with gunshot wounds in the bathroom and main room of their Verbena Drive home at about 7pm. Mount Sheridan local Danna Lancini said the couple's scared nine-year-old daughter came to her home moments after they heard gunshots. The girl was in complete shock and struggled to speak. 'I had to comfort she told me that her mum was dead,' Ms Lancini told the Cairns Post. 'The girl said "my dad sent me here because she's dead".' Krystel's sister, Jasmin Bolt, said on Saturday that she and her mother would be raising the nine-year-old girl. 'Mum and I will be looking after (Krystel's) daughter,' she said on a GoFundMe page she set up. 'We're trying to navigate through this hard time and I need to make sure (she) is financially secure for her future, to help with schooling moving forward. 'I'm new to this "Go Fund Me" stuff but I was told by a few family members that I should start one. 'Thank you everyone for your kind words and support.' In the space of seven hours, the page raised $15,705 of the $50,000 target. Police don't believe the girl witnessed the incident. 'However that still doesn't take away from how traumatising that will be for that child and the family members and friends moving forward,' Detective Acting Inspector Alina Bell said. The Pauls didn't have a domestic violence or mental health history and were not known to police. 'It's always possible that things go on behind closed doors that family, friends and police are not aware of,' Det Bell said. 'But our investigations have indicated to date that there is no indication that there was any domestic violence within that relationship.' Multiple firearms were located in the home, all registered to the husband. Domestic violence advocate Sherele Moody said on Thursday she received messages from someone close to Ms Paul, which gave an insight into her final moments. 'Krystel Paul had packed her bags, put them in the boot of her car and was walking out the door. He shot her to death,' she wrote on her social media page. 'This is why women don't report. This is why women don't leave.' Ms Moody's foundation, Australian Femicide Watch, listed Ms Paul as the 31st woman killed in a domestic violence incident in Australia this year. No residents on Verbena Drive have recalled any indication of domestic violence over the two years the couple lived in the recently built home.
