On 18th March 2025, Patricia Hodges, a resident of Tinajo, suffered the devastating loss of her husband to a cardiac arrest in Lanzarote. He was delivering orders in Puerto del Carmen, co-owning a business with Patricia that supplies hygiene and cleaning products to local bars and restaurants, when he tragically passed away.
As Patricia recounted how a couple of tourists at the bar attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful. "If we had access to a defibrillator and adrenaline sooner, this poor man might still be alive," said one of the men who attempted to save him, performing CPR for 45 minutes until police and then an ambulance arrived. He emphasized the importance of everyone learning CPR and having defibrillators readily accessible for public use.
In the wake of this loss, Patricia has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for distributing defibrillators to more areas of Lanzarote, particularly targeting places that cannot afford them.
"I am raising funds to supply defibrillators and training in CPR, choking prevention, and defibrillator use for bars and restaurants in the island's tourist areas," she explained.
Her focus is on tourist areas due to their high foot traffic compared to other parts of the island. Patricia pointed out that Tinajo, where she resides, has the highest availability of defibrillators she has seen on the island.
The training sessions, which she says cost €100 per person, are aimed at workers in the hospitality sector, while each defibrillator costs approximately €1,800. "Some businesses can afford them, but many others cannot," she noted. So far, the campaign has received over 160 donations, raising more than €4,500 towards a target of €5,500.
Patricia argues that "unfortunately, many lives of residents and tourists have been lost on the island due to the lack of access to defibrillators and the knowledge of how to use them," she concluded.
