Defibrillator installed in poignant memory of wife

​After his wife sadly died a year ago, a campaign by her widower has seen a life-saving device installed to prevent others going through his suffering.

Andy Piaskowski’s wife, Viven, died suddenly on January 21 last year, just nine days after her 60th birthday, and in a bid to prevent others going through the pain of losing a loved one, he began a fundraising campaign to provide life-saving devices for locations across the county.

Andy, 64, explained: “As soon as I realised Viv needed help, I called 999 and CPR immediately. Although our village defibrillator was only 20 yards away, once I started CPR I couldn’t stop so I was unable to get to it to give Viv the help she needed.

“As a result of that, and of our rural location in Aby, although help did arrive 15 minutes later, sadly it was too late. It’s so hard for response vehicles to get to rural locations such as ours.

“We never thought this would happen to us as many do, and had many plans for the future which were not to be.”

To raise the funds to purchase a defibrillator for the village of Withern with Stain, Andy and his three daughters – Sarah, 40, Charlotte, 37, and Amy, 34 – took part in the 46 mile Pathfinder March in June 2022, the tenth time Andy has completed this challenge over the years.

The defibrillator was unveiled outside Withern Methodist Chapel on January 22. Sarah Kennett, Parish Clerk for Withern and Stain Parish Council, said: “Withern and Stain Parish Council are deeply grateful to Andy and his family for this donation and to the Methodist chapel for installing it to make this available for the community."

Andy is also appealing to our readers to ask themselves these very important questions: “do you know where your nearest defibrillator is, and can you do CPR?” And if not, they need to familiarise themselves right away.

The new defibrillator at Withern is one of several defibrillators Andy has installed thanks to his fundraising, with three others located in RAF Coningsby, Tumby Woodside and Tattershall Lakes, with another near South Anston in South Yorkshire, and three for response vehicles for Cambridgeshire Police, where his daughter Amy is an officer.

Andy is also campaigning to have small signs installed on lamp posts which will provide the location of the nearest available defibrillator.

To make a donation to Andy’s campaign, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/4vp?utm_term=6EWJMDMm4