Former yellow Wiggle Greg Page says his major health scare whilst performing became a “driving factor” behind his involvement in promoting the “chain of survival” for victims of cardiovascular disease.
The 49-year-old, founder of Heart of the Nation Australia, required resuscitation from bystanders after he suffered a sudden cardiac arrest – which has a 90 per cent mortality rate – at the end of his performance with the group at a fundraiser for the bushfires last year.
“Fortunately for me, there were people around me who knew CPR and there was an AED at the venue we were performing at,” Mr Page told Sky News Australia.
“So, for me, two of the very important links on the chain of survival were present, so I survived.
“What I found out waking up in hospital after the event is that I was only one of around 10 per cent, maybe 12 per cent, of people who survive a sudden cardiac arrest.
‘That’s just not good enough: surely, in the 21st century in Australia, we as a nation can do better with survival from sudden cardiac arrest so it launched me on a journey of research and learning about this matter.
“I do believe we can do a lot better in terms of increasing survival rate from sudden cardiac arrest.”