Keyrings that could save a life

Savealife rotary keyrings. Ron Fyfe (standing) and Dave Woodhouse. Photo/Andrew Warner

A story in Bay News last month has sparked a flood of sales for Tauranga Sunshine Rotary's campaign to fight heart attacks across New Zealand.

"We've far more orders than we anticipated," Savealife campaign co-ordinator Dave Woodhouse says.

Those orders are for keyrings the club is selling, which contain a high-dose aspirin to be put under the tongue in the event of a heart attack.

The 300mg aspirin inhibits platelets which form blood clots and block arteries, so the patient gets an extra half hour before medical treatment is needed.

Savealife has since been mentioned on national media and the Bay News story seen in the UK, Dave says.

"Somebody was reading it in the UK and immediately got in touch with his daughter, who lives in Omokoroa, and told her to buy some. It's gone worldwide," he says.

"We're now getting orders from Auckland and Christchurch and all points in between, so we're absolutely delighted," he says.

He estimates they've sold more than 1000 in the past month. "We're getting orders every day still," Dave says. "[It's] potentially saving lives, because that's what it's all about."

The initiative is non-profit, so people are only ever paying cost price, he says. "Because this is a Rotary initiative, every cent of profit that we make goes back into the community.

"We only take the direct costs - even the $3 postage is done at cost. We'd love to have some more orders."

Omokoroa Medical Centre has also come on board as a stockist, with First National on Cameron Rd and Bethlehem, Living Quarters Bethlehem, Paper Plus Bethlehem, Welcome Bay Community Centre and the Bay of Plenty Times office on Cameron Road.

The keyrings are $4 each, or you can purchase three for $10. Dave says they can be ordered online as well.

"When they get onto the website all they have to do is fill their name and address in and say 'I would like so many', then we send them an invoice, they pay and we send them out."