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How a stroke of luck saved Rory and inspired a life-saving movement

23 Jul 2026

After surviving a near-fatal sudden cardiac arrest, teenager Rory Pittman has partnered with StreetBeat on a mission to save lives.

To anyone who knew him, 16-year-old Rory Pittman was the picture of health: a regular at the gym who rarely even caught a cold. But mid-way through a social basketball game at his local court in Queanbeyan, the unthinkable happened: Rory’s heart completely stopped.

His parents Michael and Abigail recall receiving the “chilling” phone call that day. 

“We were told there had been an incident involving Rory and an ambulance had been called,” Michael says. 

“I asked, ‘Is Rory ok?’ and the mother of a friend who called chillingly said, ‘I don’t know. You better get up here.’ There was a degree of panic, but we had no idea what had happened.” 

They arrived to find a parents’ worst nightmare: paramedics crowding around their unconscious son, who had collapsed suddenly from a cardiac arrest.

“A combination of distress, helplessness, and dissociation had me very confused,” Michael recalls.
“I felt like it was all happening to someone else.”
Rory beat the grim odds: out-of-hospital cardiac arrests affect over 32,000 Australians annually, and sadly, only one in ten survive.

His survival came down to immediate bystander CPR and a huge stroke of luck: the stadium’s original AED was broken and only replaced three weeks prior because the basketball association president happened to win a new device at a conference.

“They installed it with an upcoming over-50s tournament in mind; no one ever expected a teenager would need it,” Michael says.  

Rory doesn't take his survival for granted; and knows exactly how lucky he was to have that AED nearby.

“I feel extremely lucky to have not only survived my sudden cardiac arrest, but to have come through pretty much unscathed….it’s crazy to think how close I came to dying,” Rory says.

“I know that a lot of bad things could have happened, including brain damage. I’m mindful of what happened to Josh Oguns, a 15-year-old boy from Canberra, who died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest while playing basketball just a couple of weeks before my incident. I’ve met Josh’s family and support their charity Josh4Hearts Foundation. A lot of people don’t realise that it’s possible for fit and healthy teenagers to have sudden cardiac arrest.”

Today, Rory is channelling his second chance at life into a powerful mission. Partnering with the StreetBeat initiative, he has been busy raising vital funds to deploy publicly accessible StreetBeat AEDs in Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong near busy sporting grounds.

“I’m very proud to have played a role in getting the three AEDs for my local community,” Rory shares.

“Hopefully, these AEDs are never needed, but I’m glad that they are available just in case.”

His incredible advocacy hasn't gone unnoticed. After joining the St John Ambulance Cadets post-recovery, Rory was named Queanbeyan’s Young Citizen of the Year for turning his terrifying brush with death into an inspiring campaign for CPR awareness and defibrillator access.

For Rory, the goal is simple: ensuring that survival is never just a matter of a lucky coincidence.

“Every second counts with cardiac arrest, so being prepared is the most important thing,” he says.

“Install an AED, maintain it and make sure people know where it is and know how to use it. They are super easy to use, so people shouldn’t feel intimidated by them. For sporting groups, make sure that people are CPR-trained and people know what to do in a cardiac emergency.

“With more information, awareness, policies, practices, and AEDs, we can make surviving a cardiac arrest, no matter your age, less about luck and more about preparedness.”

Michael says it was “fantastic news” that StreetBeat defibrillators will soon be available in every suburb.

“StreetBeat have not just considered the need for more AEDs, but also the importance of accessibility, positioning and practicality,” he says.

“These AEDs are all publicly available, conveniently located, easily identifiable, unlocked, and easy to use. They aren’t being placed in our communities to look good or tick a box. They are here to save lives.”

Discover your nearest StreetBeat location:streetbeat.life

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