West Virginia fire department asking for donations to purchase life saving equipment after toddler nearly dies

MCMECHEN, W.Va. (WTRF) — A McMechen, West Virginia man is using the power of social media to ensure that emergency professionals have the equipment they need in a life-or-death situation.

Bill Estep recently took to Facebook to share the story of Laiden Schaefer, a two-year-old whose life was almost cut short earlier this month.

July 5 started out as a normal day like so many others when suddenly Laiden went into full cardiac arrest. He was quickly transported to WVU Reynolds Memorial Hospital, where hospital staff worked for 40 minutes to resuscitate the toddler.

Laiden was then immediately transported to Ruby Memorial Children’s PICU, where he went into cardiac arrest for a second time. Doctors were able to resuscitate him, and he was put on multiple forms of life support, including an ECMO machine and ventilator.

Miraculously, Laiden has recovered enough to be taken off of the machines and has been diagnosed as having a rare heart condition that could send him into cardiac arrest at any given moment.

Doctors say that Laiden suffered severe brain damage during cardiac arrest due to blood and oxygen flow being cut off. After a long stay in a rehabilitation center relearning basic everyday tasks, Laiden will be returning home.

On behalf of the family the McMechen VFD is asking the surrounding communities to come together to be able to purchase as pediatric Automatic External Defibrillator.

When minutes matter, officials say that this piece of equipment could mean the difference between life and death if Laiden or any other child in the community has a cardiac episode.

Estep has set the fundraising goal at $2,000, which is the cost of the pediatric AED machine. He says that any additional funds would be used to reimburse the family for travel expenses, lodging, or anything else the family needs to care for Laiden.

Donations can be mailed to:

McMechen Volunteer Fire Department

811 Marshall St.

McMechen, WV 26031.

A GoFundMe has also been set up for Laiden, you can donate here .

Cash donations can be dropped off at the VFD between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. while the station is manned.

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