According to Heart.org, 70% of Americans (as of June 2011) may have allowed their training to lapse or actually do not know how to administer CPR. This is quite alarming. This is what happened to a mother in Georgia who found her baby unconscious and not breathing. And it took the presence of mind of two young boys, aged 9 and 10, to teach her how to administer CPR to her two-month baby and resuscitate him.
A mother’s nightmare
Susanna Rohm said she noticed that her son, Isiah was pale, his arms and legs were limp and he was not breathing.
In her panic, she dropped and broke her mobile phone when trying to make a call. She had no other means of communication so she grabbed her son and ran outside, screaming for help. She saw two young boys playing and screamed at them to ask their parents to make a 911 call.
But rather than do that, the young boys acted differently and their quick actions saved her son’s life. Ethan Wilson, aged 9, showed her how to give her son CPR, with 10-year old Rocky Hurt helping. Ethan said she told the frantic mother to apply pressure on her son’s chest five to ten times, using only two fingers. He also told her to tilt the baby’s head back, pinch his nose and breathe into his mouth. In a few minutes the baby boy started crying, a sure sign that he was breathing again. He was taken to the hospital afterwards and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. He had to stay in the hospital for two days.
The two boys are students at Sedalia Park Elementary and they said they learned the CPR technique for infants from a poster they were shown during their health class. Their presence of mind and their knowledge of the technique saved Isiah’s life.
Importance of CPR
The need to have knowledge on how to administer CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation cannot be stressed enough. It is an emergency procedure that could help restore blood circulation and breathing. The American Heart Association regularly provides CPR training to millions of people. The association also conducts several programs at community level to reach out to more people and give them the proper training. It only takes a short time to take the CPR training course. But remember that those few moments you spare to get properly trained could save a precious life. Just look at the confidence it gave Ethan Wilson and Rocky Hurt to do their heroic deed.
Photo Credit: CPR Training
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Google+
LinkedIn
Email