On May 25, I watched the Memorial Day parade in Waikiki. After the parade, I saw that a man who had participated in the parade had collapsed on the sidewalk.

It seemed he had gone into cardiac arrest. A bystander performed CPR and asked others to find a defibrillator (AED). So, my dad and I ran to nearby hotels and restaurants asking if they had one. After asking well over 10 hotels and restaurants, we were surprised and disappointed to find that not a single one had an AED. The man had to wait for an ambulance to arrive, which took precious time.

Easy access to AEDs can make the difference between life and death. If hotels are not voluntarily going to have an easily accessible AED in their lobbies, I hope legislators pass a law requiring hotels to do so. I hope the man who collapsed survives.

Roen Wainscoat

Kailua

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