Heart, Heat, and Hope: Wichita Walkers Rally for T-CPR

We were excited to attend the Wichita Heart Walk on Saturday, June 27. This year’s Heart Walk highlighted the story of Amarion Sanchez-Thompson, whose mother, Cynthia, saved him with the help of verbal CPR phone instructions from the telecommunicator in Hutchinson. To read more about Amarion and Cynthia’s story, click here. Only half of Kansas counties provide this lifesaving instruction, telecommunicator CPR (T-CPR), that can triple the chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest.

People shared concern about loved ones living in counties without T-CPR. Volunteers filled out postcards sharing their stories, and Region Government Relations Lead Kari Rinker handed out ice-cold Heart Powered ice packs to help keep walkers cool on a hot, humid Kansas day. These cards will be delivered to Kansas lawmakers in January, when the Kansas Legislature returns for the 2027 session, and we continue to advocate for Telecommunicator CPR to be required in every Kansas county. It is an essential tool for rural Kansans, where EMS wait times can be as long as 30 minutes. Oklahoma and Nebraska, which border Kansas, have this in place, and Kansas should too!

Some of the comments received:

• It is very, very important- please do this!
• It’s needed in every county of the US!
• My granddaughter is a heart survivor.
• It saved MY life!
• You never know when someone needs help with CPR assistance.
• I have families in counites that currently don’t provide this support.
• As a survivor, I never know when I will be needing this.