We are all guilty of adopting an “it will never happen to me” approach at various stages in our lives. We will hear that something awful happened to someone who isn’t particularly close to our family or friendship circle and whilst the news surprises us, we carry on with our day assuring ourselves that it will never happen to us.
The biggest problem with this mentality is the fact there is no guarantee, it is a false sense of security and a dangerous one at that. Michele Smith, a teacher from Kettering, has recently opened up about her ordeal to the Northamptonshire Telegraph. Michele’s husband had been diagnosed with heart disease dilated cardiomyopathy and suffered a cardiac arrest whilst at home in April 2012. Michele was in the same room as her husband, she first realised he wasn’t responding to her and then noticed he was slumped down in his seat. Michele recalls speaking with the 999 call handler whilst carrying out CPR for what she believes was approximately 7 – 8 minutes.
Fortunately, Michelle’s story has a happy ending, she had attended first aid training some 2 years prior to the incident so that she could lead the children of her school on a trip. Michelle had expected she would need the skills to clean up grazed knees, it is clear she didn’t expect this knowledge would one day save her husband’s life. Michele’s Husband, Andy, was quoted saying “The numbers suggest that about eight out of every 100 people that have an arrest out of hospital survive”. If it wasn’t for Michele’s quick action, Andy may have been one of the 92 out of 100 that do not make it.
We are delighted to hear that Michele is now using her experience to also help others and is training all Year 10 pupils in her school how to perform CPR. Earlier this week, on 16th October 2018, it was ‘Restart a Heart Day’, an annual event to spread awareness to the masses with a focal point on the importance of CPR training. The campaign is organised by numerous organisations including the British Heart Foundation, the British Red Cross, the Resuscitation Council (UK) as well as ambulance trusts across the Country. Chief of the British Heart Foundation, Simon Gillespie, reiterated how important these campaigns are stating “You may not feel confident in performing CPR if you haven’t been trained…but without early action the chances someone will survive a cardiac arrest are virtually zero”.
Restart a Heart Day may now have passed us for another year but here at Medical Training Solutions, we are making it our mission to keep first aid at the forefront all year around. Call us today to discuss your first aid educational needs on 01603 486448.