Man who saved golfer’s life set to finish incredible charity walk

A 58-year-old former armed forces trainer is on the verge of completing a three month mission of walking over 1,000 miles while hitting a golf ball, in order to raise money for defibrillators to be installed around the country.

David Sullivan, who once saved a golfer’s life by giving him CPR, set off from John O’Groats in May and will arrive at his destination of Land’s End in August.

He’s walked between 14 and 30 miles every day and camped overnight, to raise awareness of the importance of knowing CPR, and to raise funds that would enable more towns and villages across the country to install life-saving defibrillators.

At every one of David’s stops on his journey, he trained people how to perform CPR. David’s passion for teaching CPR came about in 2016 when, while playing golf, he was faced with a life-or-death situation. When a young man experienced a cardiac arrest in front of him, David luckily knew what to do. He gave CPR for 17 minutes until the man could be treated with a defibrillator.

“It was thanks to my training, and a defibrillator being nearby, that I was able to help save the man, who luckily made a full recovery,” says David. “When something like that happens right in front of you, it makes you realise how precious life is and how important it is to know what to do in that kind of emergency. It was an experience which profoundly affected me, and now it’s my mission to create an army of life savers all over the country.”

David hopes to raise £60k, which would mean that 60 locations in Britain could be kitted out with a defibrillator.

“I’m imploring individuals and businesses all over the country to support this endeavour. Until a cardiac arrest happens to you, or someone you know, it’s impossible to truly understand how critical defibrillators are. Being treated with a defibrillator can literally mean the difference between life and death. We saw this recently when Danish footballer Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch. It can happen to anyone at any age at any time. Being treated with a defibrillator increases someone’s chance of survival by up to 70 percent.”

American Golf is sponsoring David on this adventure. Gary Favell, CEO of American Golf said: “When we heard about the incredible challenge David had set himself, we immediately wanted to lend American Golf’s support. David has found a way to harness his golfing prowess not only to highlight the importance of knowing CPR through his own personal experience, but to train people along his journey. He is a true inspiration.”

Donations can be made by visiting www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/david-sullivan-77