The Culpepper Cardiac Foundation has reached another milestone, providing its 101st automated external defibrillator (AED) to Dr. Tonya Bolton, who purchased the AED through the foundation to keep in her home for use during a life-threatening emergency.
For Culpepper Cardiac Foundation founder Melanie Brown Culpepper Beilke, the donation carries special meaning—not only because it marks the foundation’s 101st AED, but because Dr. Bolton understands firsthand the importance of being prepared for a cardiac emergency.
Dr. Bolton is a board-certified emergency medicine physician, Navy veteran, and Medical Director of the Emergency Department at AdventHealth Lake Wales. Since completing her emergency medicine residency in 2019, she has dedicated her career to caring for patients during some of the most critical moments of their lives, including heart attacks and other medical emergencies.
In early 2025, Dr. Bolton unexpectedly experienced a cardiac emergency herself when she suffered a heart attack and underwent emergency cardiac catheterization with placement of a coronary stent.
As a physician who had spent years encouraging patients to recognize concerning symptoms and seek immediate medical attention, suddenly becoming the patient gave her a new perspective on the experience.
“The experience gave Dr. Bolton a renewed appreciation for the fear, uncertainty, and vulnerability that patients and their families face during a medical emergency,” according to her story.
It also reinforced an important message she hopes others will remember: listen to your body, call 911 when something doesn’t feel right, and never delay seeking medical care.
As both an emergency physician and heart attack survivor, Dr. Bolton hopes her experience encourages others to learn CPR, recognize the warning signs of a heart attack, and understand that cardiac disease does not always fit a particular stereotype.
Heart attacks can happen to people who are active, appear healthy, and may not believe they are at risk.
Dr. Bolton is also grateful to the Culpepper Cardiac Foundation for helping provide her family with a home AED.
“She considers it both an incredible gift and an important reminder that being prepared can save a life.”
The Culpepper Cardiac Foundation continues its mission of making lifesaving AEDs more accessible throughout the community while promoting heart health, CPR education and awareness of cardiac emergencies.
With AED number 101, the foundation has reached another significant milestone—and Dr. Bolton’s story serves as a powerful reminder of why that mission matters.
