Maurice Trosclair is a musician whose current tenure as a trombonist with Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra and former work as frontman for The Nobles has earned him worldwide fans. On Valentine’s Day, 2017, his career and life were nearly cut short when he suffered sudden cardiac arrest on an elevator. He was saved by an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and the help of CPR from a bystander. However, the 460,000 who suffer fatal cardiac arrest in the United States annually are not as lucky.
Trosclair is looking to improve the odds of surviving cardiac arrest, particularly for the musicians and hospitality workers in the Frenchment Street area. He and his wife, Nancy, founded Heartbeat NOLA, a 501c3 non-profit organization aiming to place AED equipment in venues and other establishments in New Orleans. In a letter to OffBeat, Trosclair said, “It is time that we start appreciating and helping preserve New Orleans’ most precious natural resource, musicians.” To that effect, Heartbeat NOLA will isntall the first AED on Frenchmen Street at Snug Harbor on Wednesday, October 24, to coincide with Sudden Cardiac Awareness Month.
“We are going to use this opportunity to help educate people about SCA here in the New Orleans musician community,” Mr. Trosclair explained in a press release. ” There are so many of us musicians and music lovers who are getting older and are growing more susceptible to health issues. We want to help all of us ‘keep dat funky beat’ as long as possible. With only a 10% survival rate, I am one of the few lucky ones and I truly believe that I am still here for a reason. Maybe Heartbeat NOLA is it? “
October 24’s event will feature two shows (at 8 and 10 p.m.) of Trosclair performing his regular Wednesday night gig with Delfeayo Marsalis and The Uptown Jazz Orchestra. There, the newly installed AED, donated by Scott Stewart of Capital Senior Housing from Washington, DC, will be the guest of honor.
“We care about this community, and we want to be sure we can effectively respond to any medical emergency that happens on our property or anywhere nearby on Frenchmen St.,” says Wesley Schmidt, owner of Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro.
“Every business should have quick access to an AED and staff trained in CPR, especially if there is a lot of foot traffic or a large number of patrons, such as sports, concert and event venues, restaurants, hotels and music clubs,” says Nancy Trosclair, VP and CPR/AED Trainer for Heartbeat NOLA.
For more information, click here to visit the Heartbeat NOLA website.
