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Former NHLer Rich Peverley gives students lifesaving skills through Pevs Protects

Rich Peverley almost died during a game three years ago. Now he's giving back

Former National Hockey League player Rich Peverley is helping give hundreds of Guelph students a skill that could someday help them save someone's life.

Peverley and his wife Nathalie, who both grew up in Guelph and have returned to live here with their family, brought the Pevs Protects program to Rickson Ridge Public School on Thursday, teaching 100 students how to do CPR and how to use the AED (Automated External Defibrillator) that is now placed in the school courtesy of the program.

Rickson Ridge is one of four city schools benefiting from the program that sees defibrillators placed in the schools and training provided by Guelph-Wellington EMS crews for 100 students per school.

Ecole Arbour Vista, Lourdes high school and St. James high school are the others.

Peverley was playing for the Dallas Stars in his eighth NHL season on March 10, 2014, when he returned to the bench following a shift and collapsed.

He was rushed into the nearby hallway where doctors, paramedics and team staff worked on him.

"The shift was the last thing I remember. Then I woke up and was told I had a heart attack," Peverley said.

His heart stopped beating for two minutes. Only the quick work of the medical staff and the jolt from a defibrillator saved him.

After waking up, Peverley wondered why everyone was standing around and actually asked his coach when he could get back on the ice.

"It was probably harder on other people than it was for me," he said of the incident. "When I woke up I thought I was fine, there was nothing wrong with me. But my wife was there, she saw what happened. My teammates too," he says.

After recovering, and after realizing he'd never play hockey again, he and wife Nathalie wanted to do something to give back to the community in a way that might help someone else be saved in the future.

"After my incident we had a little time on our hands my wife and I had a little time on our hands to think about things and about life. We really wanted to give back to the communities that helped us," Peverley said.

"You want to give back and hopefully make a difference."

Pevs Protects is the result of that, a fundraising effort that helps pay for the defibrillators and training like the one at Rickson Ridge Thursday.

"An AED saved my life. I was 31. Anyone can have a heart attack," says the now 34-year-old Peverley, who works in player development for the Dallas Stars.

"It doesn't matter how old you are. If you know CPR and how to use an AED you are able to save a life."

Peverley said schools were chosen for the program because

"We partnered with The Heart and Stroke Foundation and they thought the best idea was to do schools," he said. "Theirs a big gathering of people here plus they're young kids and hopefully their knowledge can go and give other people knowledge."

Darrell Reid, CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, was also on hand Thursday.

"It's a great partnership for us," Reid said of linking up with the Pevs Protects campaign.

Reid told the children learning the skill that they were "learning a skill today that could help you save a life. That's pretty empowering."

The students took home information kits and inflatable practice dummies that they were all given. They were asked to all teach at least 10 other people how to do CPR.

 


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Tony Saxon

About the Author: Tony Saxon

Tony Saxon has had a rich and varied 30 year career as a journalist, an award winning correspondent, columnist, reporter, feature writer and photographer.
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