00:00With our beloved team again, there's a family that has an open wound, a family that may never
00:08heal because of the loss of their little girl. Daisha was only 12 years old playing basketball
00:18and gym class. For reasons unknown, she went down. And while there were defibrillators
00:30in the area, in the school, they were locked up. People didn't know how to use them. There
00:35wasn't proper training. And I believe perhaps her little life could have been saved. And
00:43her now 25-year-old sister, who was nine years old at the time, would have grown up with
00:48an older sister, to teach her the ways of what it's like to be a teenager, young adult, and
00:54a mom. I'm a mom. It's really hard to think of the loss of any of our children. So we
01:04know that a cardiac emergency response plan could have saved her life. So I want to thank
01:10incredible champions. Senator April Baskin, who has a deep, deep personal connection.
01:17Daisha was her little cousin, her cousin. Thank you, Senator. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
01:26you for sharing her story. And I'm convinced, as a result of this, there'll be live saves
01:35that we'll never know about. But that's okay. There are more families that don't have broken
01:40hearts. More families enjoying summer time together because of your leadership. I also
01:47want to commend Assemblymember Solage for her leadership in this as well, for taking it through
01:52the assembly, getting it over the finish line. And now it is now presented to my desk. This
01:57also adds to a law I signed a few years ago that Damar Hamlin supported. I know he's around,
02:04but he's certainly a little busy. That's important too. That requires youth sports programs and
02:10camps to have emergency defibrillator plans in place. Because think about it, not all sports
02:16are happening inside a school, right? You know, Little League, football fields, soccer fields,
02:23you're outdoors. And so these youth programs have to have a plan as well. Now, if a student
02:31has a cardiac erect, there's going to be a trained force, trained individuals, a plan in place.
02:38So no family ever has to go through this heartbreak again. So I look forward to signing this. And
02:44perhaps when we present the signing pens to Daisha's mom and sister and family, you know,
02:52they'll know that while they don't have their beloved little girl, there's other families that
02:58may keep theirs. So I'm proud to be here today. Proud to be here with all of you and people from the
03:05American Heart Association and others who stepped up to talk about how important this is. You'll be hearing
03:12from them momentarily. So with that, I'll turn it over to Assemblymember Solaj and thank her again,
03:18once again, for being a great champion of this legislation.
03:20Thank you. Let's give another round of applause to our great governor here.
03:27Not only effective, but also stylish. You see those shoes? I got the Buffalo Bills on there.
03:35You got to check out that fit. I want to recognize not only the athletes of the Buffalo Bills,
03:42but also the medical team and especially the athletic trainers. Really, they do the amazing
03:48work to ensure that these athletes are at peak physical condition. And when we talk about making
03:55sure people have access to health care, it's really important that our student athletes are
04:00provided with the best care and also our students are provided with the support that they need in
04:06educational institutions. And so when we passed this legislation, our intention was to ensure that
04:13we make our schools safer for every student, teacher, staff, anyone within the school community,
04:21because every minute counts during a cardiac emergency. And that's why this bill is so important.
04:27We have to make sure that every school has a cardiac emergency plan so that we don't have another
04:32day. And we honor her memory here today. We thank the family for sharing your story and turning your
04:40pain into purpose. We thank the American Heart Association, the Red Cross and others who helped us
04:46get this across the finish line, including Ostroff and so many other individuals. But also thank you to
04:51the Buffalo Bills. You know, I really believe it's New York's only football team, but I'm biased, you know,
04:58I'm biased. They're starting to listen to me. Yeah, yeah. And that's from a Long Islander, right?
05:04She's from Long Island. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been working on this for four years.
05:08Four years. It's getting there. More work. But with that, I'm going to lend it off to Senator Baskin,
05:14who's really put her heart and soul into the legislation. So I thank everyone,
05:18and I thank my colleagues for helping us get this done. Thank you.
05:20Thank you. Thank you, Governor. Good morning, neighbors. I am so overjoyed to be here today
05:30and to witness our great governor signed Daisha's law into legislation. I always want to lift up God.
05:37Thank you for another day, for safe travels. Many of us came from Buffalo, New York to be here today and
05:43other parts of our great state. I see several of our colleagues are here
05:49today in the audience, and this bill would not have passed unanimously in both houses had it not been
05:54for their leadership as well. So I want to uplift Senator Cooney, Assemblymember Lunsford, Senator
06:01Brook, Assemblymember Daman Meeks, and Assemblymember Bronson for your vote in the affirmative for this
06:08important legislation. Thank you. Thank you. And Clark, sorry, and Assemblymember Clark, forgive me.
06:15Thank you all so much. This was a labor of passion for us and the American Heart Association,
06:22and we were able to get it over the finish line because of your leadership as well. So we are
06:25grateful to our colleagues in the state legislature. Thank you to my Assembly sponsor, who we just heard
06:31from Assemblymember Mikael Solangez for your tenacity in carrying this bill in the state assembly and for
06:37your stellar leadership as the chairwoman of our statewide Black Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian caucus.
06:43We appreciate you, sister, in all that you do. And to our governor for your signature today,
06:49which will solidify this bill into state law and for always prioritizing youth. Our governor
06:54prioritizes child care and our governor prioritizes child welfare. Having a mom governor in New York
07:02State has made a difference. And I just want to say thank you so much. And most importantly,
07:10to the Florence and Sanders Hall family for sharing Deja's story with the great state of New York to help
07:17save lives of students and youth athletes who so desperately need this law put in place to help
07:23secure a plan of safety for students who encounter sudden heart failure, just as Deja did. We have
07:32here today Anika Florence, Cheyenne, who is here, Cheyenne Sanders, Deja's baby sister,
07:38Darren Sanders, who is Deja's father, her grandmother, Alice Florence, her aunt, Jasmine Fleming,
07:45and her stepfather, Thomas Hall. Thank you to your family for traveling and being here at this bill signing
07:51today. We appreciate you all. And to the American Heart Association and the NFL for your passion and
07:59for bringing this legislation to my attention. It's been an honor delivering this bill alongside you.
08:05But when we had the idea to shift the name of the bill in honor of a young athlete who lost their life
08:11because there was a lack of a plan put in place, you all were on board to highlight Deja's life. And we
08:17really, really appreciate your leadership for that. So thank you all so much for caring and for making
08:23this event so personal. Now, as we're gathered here today at the Bills training camp preparing for
08:28the Buffalo Bills upcoming Super Bowl win, like many others, I can't help but think about our beloved
08:37Amar Hamlin and his health incident, which shocked us all a short time ago. The nation watched as our
08:43beloved and talented athlete fought for his life right before us on the Bills field. Mr. Hamlin is
08:50still here today. And he is a valued member of the Buffalo Bills defense. He is working hard today,
08:57somewhere on this campus, I'm sure. And he is here because in his time of need, there was a plan in
09:04place. A plan that deployed Bills health professionals, first responders, and the Bills staff to spring into
09:11action, a plan that saved that young man's life. And we have named this bill in honor of Deja Sanders. Like
09:18Mr. Hamlin, she was also in the midst of her treasured pastime playing basketball with her classmates
09:26in an after school basketball practice. And suddenly the unthinkable happened. Deja collapsed and her life
09:34was failed. While an AED was in the school, no one could locate the keys to open it. And as precious,
09:41precious minutes ticked by, Deja's life hung by a thread and she was rushed to the emergency room,
09:48where my little cousin unfortunately died. But just as Mr. Hamlin is here with us today,
09:53I believe Deja is here with us as well. I believe that Deja is here smiling down on us,
09:59so proud that we are going to use her journey and her situation to save the lives of so many other
10:05youth athletes across the great state of New York. As a mother of two children and Deja's cousin,
10:11I want to ensure that parents, staff, and every single teacher that is fighting to make sure that
10:18our children are protected, are well prepared when the unthinkable happens at your school.
10:24Requiring schools across New York State to provide training and a plan put in place
10:29to help save kids lives and to learn how to use an AED will undoubtedly save so many children.
10:36Thank you so much again to Governor Hochul for assigning this vital piece of legislation today
10:41and may Deja's memory save so many lives of future athletes and they continue to live and to tell
10:48their story as well. God bless you all. Thanks so much for being here today.
11:02I now have the pleasure of introducing Anika Florence Hall, who is the mother of our beloved Deja Sanders.
11:10Thank you guys. My name is Anika Florence Hall and I am the mother of Deja Sanders.
11:19Not a day goes by that I don't think of my beautiful vibrant daughter.
11:28Deja was just 12 years old when she died, doing something she loved, playing basketball with her friends at school.
11:35I want to thank my cousin, Senator April Baskin, who honors my little girl with this law.
11:42I want to also thank Assemblymember Solange for helping to pass Deja's law.
11:49And my thanks to Governor Holcomb for signing Deja's law this morning.
11:53Governor, I know you're a mom and a grandmother, so you understand that strong bond and love.
12:00I am so graceful. Our grief is deep, but knowing Deja inspired this law means so much.
12:07Senator Baskin, because of you, Deja will help so many others who hope
12:13will never face the same kind of tragedy. Thank you.
12:16My name is Mark Schaber. I'm the Executive Vice President of Advocacy for the American Heart Association.
12:33I'm here representing Nancy Brown. And to the Saunders family, thank you for sharing that story.
12:40It's what unites all of us. We're here today because we know we can have an impact. We can make a difference.
12:44And with this legislation, we know we are going to save lives. We may not know which lives those are,
12:50but we are going to have an impact. So I just want to thank the Governor for your signature,
12:53for all the support from the legislature. And just know that the New York State's leadership
12:59is inspiring other states across the country to do the very same thing. So your story is having an
13:05impact over the entire country. We know that 350,000 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrests
13:10occur every year. Only 10% of those have any kind of favorable outcome. But we know with this
13:17legislation, we can change that to get survival rates up to 50%. So thank you for all the work in
13:22the past that has saved hundreds of lives. And for this legislation that's going to save lives
13:27for years and decades to come. I also am here representing the Heart Smarts Sports Coalition.
13:34So with our colleagues from the Red Cross, the NFL, we are the coalition that are working in states
13:40across the country to make sure that they follow your leadership and have an impact for the students,
13:45for the individuals that we know we can have, can save lives. So thank you.
13:54Again, I want to thank everyone for joining us here today. The Buffalo Bills for hosting this event,
14:00knowing the deep connection with Lamar Hamlin and what occurred in his life and
14:05rebirth, and also to the NFL and others who join in this journey. And I want to also acknowledge the
14:10presence of our county executive, Adam Bellow has joined us, and Bob Duffy, the former mayor,
14:16chief of police, lieutenant governor extraordinaire and head of the Chamber of Commerce as well,
14:21as well as Hope Knight from my administration who runs all the economic development programs and all of
14:26our elected leaders. I want to make sure we acknowledge those who stepped up and were part
14:30of this in our legislature this last session. And most of all, to the family, to the family who
14:36have to have their wounds reopened, but for a purpose that I hope they feel is worthy,
14:42that there's a piece of legislation in their little girl's name that will go on forever in
14:46our state of the great state of New York. So let's sign the bill.
15:42We'll sign.
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