By Laura Albanese
Newsday
Copyright 2008 Newsday, Inc.
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — The idea of bringing defibrillators to Long Island’s sidelines came as a flash of inspiration to Craig and Kristin LoNigro, athletic trainers from Blue Point.
Craig LoNigro had been manning a Long Island Junior Soccer League tournament about three years ago when a player fractured his arm during the match. Afraid they would be held liable, the coaches told LoNigro to leave the boy alone and wait for an ambulance to come — which it did 35 minutes later.
“If this was a medical emergency, we would have been in bad shape,” Craig LoNigro recalled saying to a coach. “I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to do something about it.’”
He’d gone home later that day and told his wife about an idea to distribute defibrillators, known as automated external defibrillators or AEDs, to schools and athletic leagues in the area. With their training, he told her, they could instruct coaches — almost all volunteers — how to use the devices in the highly important few moments after a player’s heart stops.
They contacted the medical division of Philips Electronics and, with the help of Craig LoNigro’s father, who owns a sporting goods store, established a list of contacts. Two years later, they began distributing the AEDs under their company, Long Island Sports Care Group.
“It’s [become] somewhat of a crusade,” Craig LoNigro said.
The first hurdle was spreading the word. Thanks to Louis’ Law, a New York State law requiring an AED in every public school and at school-sponsored events, schools were intent on getting AEDs. Many youth leagues, though, went without.
The LoNigros were undeterred. They contacted Jill and Craig Levine, whose son, Robbie, died while running the bases during a baseball game. They also called Karen and John Acompora, founders of the Louis J. Acompora Foundation. The Acomporas lost their son in 2000 after he was struck by a lacrosse ball while tending goal. His heart stopped, Karen Acompora said, and “if there had been a defibrillator on the sidelines, Louis might quite possibly be alive today.”
The Acomporas helped bring about the passage of the state law. John recently was in Washington lobbying for a similar federal law.
Together, they shared contacts, spoke to coaches, and stressed the importance of AEDs on the sidelines. The LoNigros concentrated on bringing the devices to leagues, which don’t require the same training of their coaches as schools do, Kristin LoNigro said. Many feared being caught in a messy lawsuit if something went wrong.
Kristin LoNigro, who provides certification for the Red Cross, tried to assuage their fears through the training.
“I’d go in and present, so we don’t have another situation where we lose a kid,” she said.
The result of their combined efforts has been increased interest. The LoNigros have sold about 50 AEDs in the last year and placed machines with leagues such as Sayville Lacrosse, Long Island Junior Soccer and the South Bay SportsPlex in Calverton.
Scott Mellynchuk, director of Sayville Youth Lacrosse, equipped his league with an AED three years ago. He recently purchased a second one.
The LoNigros, he said, provided the training.
“We hold [their] hands,” Craig LoNigro said. “We try to make it so easy so that they don’t have an excuse.”