Students at Melton West’s Catholic Regional College have raised $2000 for a classmate with a life-threatening heart condition.
Brianna Gibson, 13, inherited a rare heart condition called Long QT syndrome, which causes an erratic heartbeat and is a common cause of sudden death in young adults.
On June 3, her classmates presented her with a defibrillator, which Brianna can take with her everywhere she goes in case of emergency.
Arrhythmia episodes, when the heart beats too fast, can be triggered by exercise, being startled by a loud noise, stressful situations, anger and crying.
“The defibrillator will help me feel more secure wherever I go and I’ll be able to take it everywhere, like school excursions and friends’ houses and feel more safe,” Brianna said. “I felt so thankful they did this for me.”
The 27 year 7 students came up with the idea in class, homeroom teacher Claire Closter said.
“We were doing a class about how we can all help one another through big and small acts, and we came up with the issue of helping someone we know,” she said.
With help from school staff, the fund-raising campaign went throughout term one, the students holding raffles and activity sessions and even chipping in their own money.
Brianna takes beta-blockers twice a day but doesn’t let her condition keep her from her favourite activities: dancing and horseriding.
“I go alright mostly, but when I run a lot I get puffed out,” she said.
