(Indianapolis, IN) - A proposal that will require every school in Indiana to have a portable AED device has taken a step closer to becoming law. Three local women have been down in Indianapolis helping to make it happen.

 

Tonya Aerts, a biomedical science teacher at New Prairie and Teresa Mago, whose son Zac died of sudden cardiac arrest in 2018, joined La Porte’s Julie West in supporting Senate Bill 369.

 

The trio testified before the State Senate last week. They have tried several times to get legislation passed to require AEDs in schools. “It’s so frustrating because other states do this,” said Aerts. “This isn’t a new concept or something. It happens in other states; Indiana is just not there yet.”

 

West, whose son Jake died suddenly in 2013, was present for the Senate vote Thursday. It was an emotional experience, as, prior to the vote, Senator Linda Rogers referenced Jake’s story on the Senate floor. “I was up in the balcony and Senator Rogers happened to look up,” West said. “Our eyes just met. I felt her emotion and I know she felt mine. I had tears in my eyes. It was just an emotional time.”

 

SB 369 passed the Senate vote unanimously. The bill will now go to the House. Local State Representative Jim Pressell has been assigned to carry it forward.

 

West says the recent situation with NFL player Damar Hamlin has brought attention to unexpected sudden cardiac arrest, and lawmakers are paying more attention.

 

SB 369 requires every school to have an AED at every athletic event as well as a cardiac emergency plan. Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading killer of student athletes and the top cause of death on school campuses.