Ten years ago this fall, James Knight silenced 60,000 screaming fans during the Carolina-Virginia football game. The 51-year-old football referee fell flat on his back in the middle of the field, the unexpected victim of a massive heart attack.

Several cardiologists jumped out of their seats and rushed onto the field. Thanks to an onsite defibrillator, the doctors were able to save Knight's life by shocking his heart back into a normal rhythm electrically.

Inspired by similar tales of tragedy and triumph, a group of forward-thinking community leaders have formed an organization called HeartSafe Moore County to make automated external defibrillators (AEDs) widely available. With minimal training, a layman can use these hand-held machines to administer the proper treatment during those first critical minutes after a heart attack. The machine tells you what to do and will not allow you to shock a normally beating heart.

Worth Pursuing

If a massive heart attack strikes, guess where is the best place in America to have one? Try in a casino in Las Vegas. That's right. Sin City saves 75 percent of visitors who suffer heart attacks. That's because most casinos have several AEDs strategically located throughout their facilities and can be operational within a minute or less.

Performing CPR alone on a heart attack victim will produce a successful outcome only 5 percent of the time. However, when CPR is combined with AED treatment, that survival rate jumps to nearly 80 percent.

HeartSafe Moore County, which is chaired by retired cardiac surgeon Dr. Robin Cummings of Pinehurst, has enlisted the services of the Moore County Schools, the Moore County Chamber and FirstHealth. The group hopes to make these life-saving devices as ubiquitous as fire extinguishers. That's a noble and ambitious goal. It's one worth pursuing.

Off to Great Start

Given the above-average age of our population and active Sandhills lifestyle, this is an idea whose time has come. Wherever large groups of people are congregated, these devices should be present.

HeartSafe is off to a great start, having received its first donation of $7,500, and the Kiwanis Club of the Sandhills has purchased a device and challenged other civic clubs to match their contribution. As soon as we at The Pilot heard about this initiative, we signed on to acquire one of these portable, battery-operated machines for our employees, customers and guests -- as well as surrounding businesses -- to use in an emergency.

Please attend a fundraising kick-off breakfast and presentation planned for Nov. 27 at 7:30 a.m. at The National Golf Club on Midland Road. Just as tragedy struck and providence smiled on referee James Knight that sun-dappled day on the Kenan Stadium turf, you can do your part to help keep Moore hearts beating.

Reprinted with permission, The Pilot, Southern Pines, NC