An ambulance medic raised enough money in just two hours for a new defibrillator at the temple where his brother unexpectedly died.

Ron Dhesi, a frontline worker with the London Ambulance Service from Welling, went on a mission to gather £2,400 and did it in just two hours.

The defibrillator was recently installed at Woolwich Gurdwara, the place where Ron's older brother died suddenly from a cardiac arrest last year.

Perminder Singh Dhesi was attending an afternoon service at the Sikh temple, and despite London Ambulance Service crews efforts, he died not long after.

Following the successful fundraising, Ron took it upon himself to teach the community how to use the defibrillator, along with imparting life-saving chest compression techniques.

The device has the potential to revive someone's heart if it stops beating, making it a crucial addition to the temple. 

News Shopper:

Ron said: "We were together on Christmas day as we normally are every year – he was absolutely fine, he was a perfectly healthy man.

"I know from my job that a cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any time, but you never expect the worst day to happen to you."

During Perminder's funeral, Ron passionately addressed the temple members, emphasizing the critical importance of having a defibrillator on-site.

The Welling community supported him throughout and he achieved his goal.

Ron's dedication to saving lives extends beyond his own grief, as he plans to organise similar sessions at other temples in Greenwich.

Daniel Elkeles, Chief Executive at London Ambulance Service, added: "Ron's incredible devotion to the health and wellbeing of his community at an incredibly difficult time for his family is really inspiring.

"I support his efforts to encourage people to learn vital resuscitation skills and help make London a city of lifesavers: you could save the life of a loved one."

With cardiac arrests being a leading cause of death, especially outside of hospitals, Ron's remarkable efforts serve as a reminder of the importance of accessible life-saving equipment and knowledge within communities.

Learning how to restart a heart is easy and only takes a few minutes, you can sign up here.