A Tale of Two Heroes, Big and Small – Dave & Ezra’s HeartHero Journey.

Dave and Ezra’s story

As Dave Hutton helps his young stepson, pack his school bag, there is one vital piece of kit that never gets forgotten. Five-year old Ezra takes his compact Elliot HeartHero AED with him wherever he goes. It never gets left behind.

Ezra was born with Long QT Type 1, a genetic heart condition which affects the way the electricity travels through the heart and can change the way the heart beats.

Dave is acutely aware of the risk of Long QT. His daughter, Isla passed in 2022 following a battle with Long QT Type 3 (LQT3 differs from LQT1 and LQT2 as the dangerous heart rhythms typically occur during rest or sleep rather than exercise or sudden loud noises).

Author of a blog about daily life, medical treatments and time spent in hospital with Isla, Dave’s work as a patient advocate placed him on the radar of biotech investors, keen to use Isla’s story and collaborate to raise awareness and to fund medical development.

In this role he reached out to fellow Long QT community members and met Ezra’s mum, Abby. Discovering they only lived 30 minutes apart, the two decided to meet up and, as Dave says: “That became our love story.” A love story completed now by the newest addition to the family, 18-month-old Zack.

A UK first

Ezra had a defib before he received his HeartHero AED but it had been too heavy for him to carry in his bag, meaning a parent had to transport it to nursery for him each day.

One day Ezra’s nursery worker noticed that it’s light had stopped flashing on his Lifepak CR2. The battery had stopped working, well before its expiry date, and the family were fully unaware. After replacing the battery, they realised that the defib pads were due to expire. The family had the choice of replacing the pads when Dave heard about HeartHero AED, launching in the UK (able to purchase through MyDefib).

HeartHero had reached out to one of the Long QT groups that Dave was a member of and the timing couldn’t have been better. Ezra got his very own HeartHero, (delivered especially by Father Christmas in person!), the very first HeartHero AED Elliot ever in the hands of the public. This gave Ezra the gift of being able to pack and carry his own bag – a small thing but a big deal for a little boy.

And Dave and Abby were gifted peace of mind – a working, portable defib would always be to hand.

Building Isla’s legacy, AED by AED

Having lost Isla, Dave’s key driver has always been to honour his little girl; fund-raising and continuing to raise awareness in her memory. When Dave realised the amazing benefits to the lightweight, portable and compact HeartHero, an idea took hold.

Dave decided to fundraise so that other Long QT sufferers could get access to a portable defib too.

Every year on Isla’s birthday, December 19^th, Dave had kept the tradition of buying his daughter a gift. Dave directed his fundraising activity to purchasing Elliots in memory of Isla – one for every year.

With friends and family encouraged to donate the present money they would have spent for birthday and Christmas to the cause, and awareness raised on social media, funds fast accumulated.

Two heroes for the price of one

Keen to join in with his stepdad, Ezra began to fundraise too. Last year the pair went on a mission, setting off to gift Elliot HeartHero AEDs to those in need, living with Long QT around the UK.

It’s a mission that isn’t over for the duo. This year, with the help of MyDefib, the pair intend to do the same again in honour of Isla.

Dave and Ezra will travel around the UK giving out Defibs, celebrating Isla’s life with what could be the gift of life for another family.

Dave is passionate about the importance of always having a defib to hand: “Having a defib for use in the home, that can be easily carried with you wherever you go, is everything to the anxious family, who crave peace of mind.

“Without it, you can be in the supermarket, the park or on a day trip to the zoo and your first thought is ‘where is my nearest defib and is it working?’ With the HeartHero, you know it’s in your bag and, if you need it, it won’t let you down.”

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