After cardiac arrest during practice match, volleyball club Lindemans follows life-saving action training: ‘Help cannot be closer than on the court itself’
The entire core of volleyball club Lindemans Aalst attended a Heart Heroes training on Tuesday at sports complex Schotte to be able to react quickly when someone suffers a cardiac arrest. The club was already confronted with a cardiac arrest of an opponent player during a practice match against Maaseik in 2022. “It can happen anywhere and then quick help is vital,” states Lindemans coach Christophe Achten.
Former sports journalist and fellow townsman Louis De Pelsmaeker suggested to the club to follow Heart Heroes’ training. “Following what happened to the player from Maaseik but surely everyone also remembers the Danish footballer Eriksen during the European Championship,” Louis De Pelsmaeker says.
“Help couldn’t be closer than on the pitch itself. When I suggested it, Lindemans Aalst was immediately enthusiastic about organising this training for their players. They too feel that being able to offer help is important.”
Deep impression
“It can really happen anywhere, even on training where there are no medical staff present,” says trainer Christophe Achten. “We traded training for this one, it’s an important learning moment, a team building.”
“Normally players complain when the programme changes, but I didn’t hear anyone grumbling about this. Some of our players also attended Martin Perin’s cardiac arrest, which left a deep impression. Fortunately, the referee, who is also an ambulance driver, was quick to offer help. Because not everyone knew what to do,” admits Achten.
“We were able to practise on a dummy just now. Despite the artificial situation, it remains exciting. Little mistakes are made, and with some you can even hear vibrations in the voice. You notice that everyone is extremely motivated.”