LITTLETON, Colo. — When cardiac arrest strikes it can hit fast. An automated external defibrillator, or AED, can be critical to getting a heart up and running once again.
One Highlands Ranch nurse has made it her mission to make that lifesaving equipment more accessible after losing her own father to cardiac arrest when they couldn't reach an AED.
"It's been a long time coming," said Kara Baker, a registered nurse in the Cardiac Cath Lab at AdventHealth Littleton.
Baker has spent the last 12 years working as a nurse at AdventHealth Littleton, caring for patients with heart problems. She knows the difference AEDs make when someone goes into cardiac arrest.
"Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone at any time, anywhere, any age," she said. "And [AEDs] are not always accessible."
That's something her dad, Ed Walsh, experienced five years ago when the family was at her daughter's soccer game Sept. 8, 2018.
"We were watching the kids warm up and I saw out of the corner of my eye my dad collapse," Baker said.
She ran over, quickly starting CPR.
"I can remember screaming out, 'Somebody grab an AED, somebody grab an AED,' but there was no AED available because it was locked inside the school," she said. "The irony of the situation was my dad spent a large chunk of his life putting AEDs inside of elementary schools. And yet, he collapsed at an elementary school where we didn't have access to one."
Her father was taken to the hospital, her hospital. But Ed didn't make it.
"The staff and my own coworkers worked vigorously on him, they gave him the best care that he could have received," Baker said. "I know they gave him his best shot, but he unfortunately passed away later that day. So when he died at the place that I worked, I knew I had to do something bigger to honor him."
Over the years, Baker has worked to do just that, continuing her father's work to make AEDs more accessible.
"I've been dreaming of this day for five years," she said.
"Thank you all for joining us here on this beautiful morning," said Matt Mendenhall, chief medical officer at AdventHealth Littleton, welcoming the crowd gathered outside Euclid Middle School in Littleton Friday morning.
Just outside the school sits the first of nine outdoor AEDs that will be placed outside schools to prevent what happened to Kara's dad from happening to anyone else.
"I am so grateful to be standing in front of you all in such an important day that I've been envisioning for the last five years," Baker said. "Today is the day that I get the opportunity to honor my late father Ed."
With each outdoor AED launched, Baker remembers her dad.
"He was a loving husband, loving father, grandfather, he was just amazing," she said.
This work helps honor his memory, she said, while protecting the community in the years to come.
"It means everything to me. It's like carrying on his legacy, really, being able to continue his work," Baker said.
Save Station AEDs are being placed on wall mounts or towers at Littleton Stadium, Euclid Middle School, Littleton High School, Powell Middle School, Goddard Middle School, Arapahoe High School, Heritage High School, and Centennial Stadium.
The AEDs are temperature-controlled to handle conditions in both summer and winter safely. When a device is opened, an alarm will sound and photos of the individual will be taken as well as notifying EMS and fire stations nearby. Those measures, Baker said, help deter vandals but also immediately alert first responders if and when someone needs help.
> Watch 9NEWS original shows, live Colorado news and weather updates, daily forecasts, and sports coverage for free on the 9NEWS+ app on Roku and Fire TV.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.