Welcome
Welcome to The Paul Alan Project and thank you for visiting us!
The Paul Alan Project was created to prevent more cardiac arrest deaths in the UK; by raising awareness of the signs of a cardiac arrest, providing basic lifesaving training for FREE and raising funds for the provision and installation of Public Access Defibrillators and Bleed Control Kits where there is a need, particularly concentrating on parks, town centres and residential areas. We registered The Project in November 2022 as a CIC and transitioned to a registered charity on 12th September 2023. I created The Paul Alan Project after I was by my Dad's side when he died from a sudden cardiac arrest. Here's my story;
​
On 29th January 2022, Fulham Football Club's home match against Blackpool FC was paused in the 11th minute. The pause was due to my lovely Dad, Paul Alan Parish, suffering a cardiac arrest in the Hammersmith End shortly after celebrating one of the season's many Aleksandar Mitrovic goals.
​
Out of the blue, my Dad; a busy, active, fit, happy, healthy man who didn't suffer as much as a cold in his life, collapsed without warning. It was a shock to us all; those who knew and loved him and those all around the ground. We were terrified; we didn't know what to do or how to help him.
​​
Thankfully, there were off-duty police officers and medics in the crowd, who, almost instantly and heroically, came to our aid when they could see that Dad needed help. Performing CPR and using a defibrillator to get his heart beating again, these wonderful heroes worked tirelessly on my Dad for 40 minutes. Dad was able to leave Craven Cottage for the last time to a standing ovation, his heart faintly beating and still conscious. At this point there was still hope for a positive outcome.
​​
Moments before Dad was carried into the waiting ambulance outside the ground, Dad had a second, fatal cardiac arrest. In truth, I knew we had lost him at that moment. I could see it in his face as I stood, fearfully, beside him. Dad's heart beat for the final time outside turnstile 46 - the very gate that he had entered only 45 minutes earlier.
​
My over-riding feeling from that day, apart from the overwhelming grief and trauma, is the guilt I have because I didn't know how to help my Dad, when he always knew how to help others. I was by his side and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to spot the signs of a cardiac arrest or what action to take, apart from seeking help. I often think back to those first few minutes after Dad collapsed and regret not having basic life-saving skills that might have changed things on that day.
Could I have saved him if I knew what was happening sooner?
Would Dad still be here if I knew, then, what a cardiac arrest looked like?
I have since learnt that those first few moments of a cardiac arrest are the most crucial. I want to live in a world where people are empowered to take immediate action if they witness a cardiac emergency and that they have a public access defibrillator nearby to give someone in cardiac arrest the best chance of life.
​
Knowledge, CPR and defibrillator use can save lives. I believe that EVERYONE should have access to life-saving skills and devices which is why I have founded The Paul Alan Project.
​
Clare Parish
Founder & Chair