Young farmer campaigns for more rural defibrillators

Nottinghamshire young farmer Sophie Owen, 22, is on a mission to educate farmers and businesses about heart health after tragically losing her father to cardiac arrest in 2019.

Sophie says her father was just 54 years old at the time, and appeared outwardly fit and healthy.

He was regularly active on the farm, but had suffered from high blood pressure.

See also: Farm Doctor: Could you recognise heart attack symptoms?

While her father had received CPR from a neighbour at the time of his collapse, Sophie discovered that his chances of survival would have improved had they had access to a defibrillator.

Sadly, due to their rural location, it took too long for the ambulance and vital equipment to arrive.

Determined to be a force for positive change, Sophie, who has recently graduated from the University of Leicester, has established “Heart Health in Business”, a dedicated LinkedIn group to target businesses and spread awareness of heart disease, CPR knowledge, and encourage sites to install defibrillators.

Sophie explains: “Taking our health seriously is everyone’s responsibility.

“Learning how to help someone who has experienced a cardiac arrest means that if you ever find yourself in that situation, you know what to do, how to help, and importantly, how to try and save that person’s life.”

Saying that a stigma still exists around seeking help, Sophie has praised the work of rural charity Farming Community Network for normalising conversations about health in the workplace.

She says that her father was “stubborn, and perhaps a bit scared” when it came to asking for help. 

“We all say ‘it won’t happen to me’ when it comes to our health, and are often too busy to find the time to properly look after ourselves.

“By the time my father did go to the doctor, he was already suffering from extremely high blood pressure.

“Maybe if he had gone to see a doctor sooner, he would still be here today.”

Sophie has since successfully campaigned for a defibrillator to be installed on her university campus, and is on a mission to encourage more businesses and farms to do the same.

“Farming is at the heart of so many things in this world,” she says. “As a community, we need to come together to care for and look after one another. We all have a part to play.”