A New Partnership in the Fight to Save Lives

It can happen without warning, in the middle of an ordinary day, to a child who seems perfectly healthy one moment and is fighting for their life the next. That's exactly what happened to Heather Freligh, and it's why CCHAT Sacramento is honored to begin a new partnership built around one simple truth: seconds save lives.

CCHAT Sacramento recently welcomed Captain Jim Ellis of Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, along with Derek Freligh and his daughter Heather, to our campus. The visit marks the beginning of a partnership focused on a mission that matters to every family in our community: increasing awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and expanding access to Automated External Defibrillators, or AEDs, throughout our neighborhoods, schools, and public spaces.

This partnership is still taking shape, but its purpose is already clear and deeply personal. Together with Sac Metro Fire and the Heather Freligh Heart Foundation, CCHAT hopes to help close the gap between a sudden cardiac emergency and the life-saving response that follows, because for Heather, and for every child like her, every second truly does matter.

Heather's Story: A Life Saved, A Mission Ignited

Heather Freligh was a student going about a normal day at school when she suddenly went into sudden cardiac arrest in her math class. In her own words:

“I was saved by my principal, who just got CPR training two weeks prior and an AED from the firefighters. I was in a medically induced coma for 28 hours, woke up, had heart surgery a couple of weeks later, then walked out full of life.”

Heather's recovery led to the implantation of a life-saving cardiac device, and in the years since, she has turned her survival into advocacy. She has spoken on Capitol Hill and at the American Heart Association's Sacramento Heart Ball, and she helped inspire California legislation, now known as the Heather Freligh Act, aimed at strengthening emergency response planning in schools. She currently serves as a National Ambassador for the American Heart Association, among many other roles supporting sudden cardiac arrest awareness nationwide.

Why the Freligh Family Started a Foundation

Derek Freligh, Heather's father, co-founded the Heather Freligh Heart Foundation to turn what his family learned into direct action for other families. In Heather's words, the goal was simple:

“We started the Heather Freligh Heart Foundation because we wanted to have the ability to make the impact ourselves. Our goal is to donate AEDs, place them outside, indoors, and in many other places, train as many people as we can, and spread awareness so we can prevent another event like mine.”

The foundation's work centers on four goals: CPR confidence training, AED readiness and access, emergency response planning, and youth leadership. Derek shared what stood out to him during his first visit to CCHAT:

“What I was impressed with the most was the structure of the facility, the organization, and the leadership. As a parent and as a cofounder of a foundation, I know how hard it is to create a solid environment for kids to thrive in. I was given a very thorough tour, during which I saw CCHAT had everything available to do their job successfully; it was very impressive. What really touched my heart was seeing the kids so happy, interacting with each other and truly growing in this learning environment.”

A Connection Beyond AEDs

For Heather, the visit to CCHAT held a personal meaning that goes beyond emergency preparedness. She is an American Sign Language student at Saint Mary's High School in Stockton, where she serves on the school's ASL Honors Society, and she has spent years building connections within the deaf and hard of hearing community.

Her interest in ASL took root in eighth grade, when a show called Switched at Birth first introduced her to the language. When she got to Saint Mary's and found out ASL was offered, she signed up right away, and she is now working toward becoming an ASL 3 Honors student and has stayed active in the deaf and hard of hearing community ever since.

During her time at CCHAT, Heather put those skills to use, connecting directly with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. She spent time with the students during their daily music class, talking and signing simultaneously, and came away struck by how full of light they were and how much they clearly loved their community and the kids around them, something she described as truly beautiful.

Why AEDs Matter, In Heather's Words

Heather is often asked to explain what makes an AED so important during a sudden cardiac emergency. In simple terms, sudden cardiac arrest happens when the heart's electrical system stops working properly, causing an irregular heartbeat that keeps blood from flowing through the body. An AED uses two pads placed diagonally on the chest to deliver shocks that can restart the heart. Having an AED close by matters because without it, blood and oxygen cannot reach the body, and especially the brain, which can lead to brain damage or death.

The foundation's goal is ambitious but clear: an AED located within three minutes of any sports field, park, school, or public space, so that anyone who experiences sudden cardiac arrest has the best possible chance of survival.

How Our Community Can Help

Right now, many AEDs in our community sit behind locked doors, inside schools, sheds, or offices, rather than in the open, accessible spaces where emergencies actually happen. Building a network of visible, reachable AEDs takes partnership, and that is exactly what the Heather Freligh Heart Foundation is hoping to build with CCHAT and the broader Sacramento and Central Valley community.

Heather explained that the foundation doesn't yet have all the connections needed to place AEDs everywhere they're needed. By partnering with CCHAT and local community members, the foundation hopes to use those connections to place more AEDs and train more people in CPR.

For anyone who feels nervous about stepping in during an emergency, Heather's advice is simple: there is one step to take, and that's attending a CPR and AED class. No certification is required, just an introduction. It gives people a feel for using an AED and performing CPR, so they can stay calmer and more assertive if they're ever in that kind of situation.

A Voice Worth Listening To

Heather has spoken to lawmakers, national organizations, and communities across the country, but her advice to CCHAT students and families sounds a lot like the advocacy CCHAT teaches every day:

“I would tell them to believe in themselves and be positive. When you believe in yourself, you know that you can do it and you are good enough to do anything possible that you put your mind to. You don't have to have the story that I have to be an advocate. You just have to believe in it and take that one step forward.”

Looking Ahead

CCHAT is proud to stand alongside Sac Metro Fire, Derek Freligh, and Heather Freligh as this partnership grows in the months ahead. Heather's story is proof of something we hold onto every day at CCHAT: that one trained responder, one accessible AED, one moment of preparedness, can change the entire course of a life. Sudden cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any age, in any classroom, gym, or field, and having a trained community with AEDs close at hand can mean the difference between life and death.

We are deeply grateful to Heather and her family for trusting us with their story, and for turning what could have been a tragedy into a mission that will protect countless children we may never meet. Together, we're building a safer Sacramento, one AED, one trained hand, one child at a time.

To learn more about Heather's story and the foundation's mission, visit the Heather Freligh Heart Foundation.

If your organization is interested in supporting AED access or CPR training in our community, contact CCHAT today to learn how you can get involved.