Stories about injuries and emergencies – Cause No Further Harm
One of the really rich things about teaching CPR, youth Babysitting CPR, First Aid, etc. these 15 years are the STORIES! I hear so many, many stories from students; of course, the happy ending stories are best. Students share how a family member got hurt doing this or that – but was OK. A student shares how the neighbor fell off his roof – but was OK. Some of the MOST amazing stories of all are when the youth (age 11-15) Babysitting CPR class shares their own youth injuries! They raise their hand and share. For instance – one student ate $3.50 worth of quarters when a piggy bank broke before his parents found him. Another shared he hid in the clothes dryer and his mom turned it on, returning from a phone call. Much screaming and shrieking ensued. A girl shared that she put beads into her ear canal wanting to wear “jewelry” like her mommy. And, of course, there’s the old “I put peanuts up my nose”.
Think Before You Act – Cause No Further Harm
But there are also the sad and heart breaking stories: how a neighbor family suffered the tragedy of SIDS with their infant, and how a sibling ended up for life in a wheelchair after a fall from high up.
Accidents can stem from inattention, being careless, and can happen so quickly – but a mistake that always is at the forefront of my mind is when people “charge into action” without the pause to THINK, first, when there’s an accident. My most recent example of this type of NOT thinking first is a story shared by a man about an incident at his home with his two-year old son. Apparently, the child began to choke and so the grandma administered the abdominal thrust (Heimlich maneuver) – but wasn’t trained to do so. The wife thrust her fingers into the child’s mouth to grab the instruction – also not trained – nor do you put fingers in a mouth because it usually shoves the obstruction deeper. It turns out the obstruction came out of the throat, ultimately – so glad. BUT this man shared that out on the porch was sitting the grandfather who is a retired firefighter. You get my drift? Two untrained women start responding to the emergency – when a TRAINED person was THAT CLOSE. A perfect example of NOT thinking, not staying calm to make the best choice. Ladies, don’t “help” the choking child – GO GET grandpa!
As usual, I end each post with my message “get trained” – but this time I’ll add “THINK before you act. Cause No Further Harm”.
Jean Lesmeister
EasyCPR-Denver.com