I remember when I found my baby not breathing in his crib. It was horrible. I tried to remember CPR and couldn’t. “This can’t be happening to me,” I thought as I tried to find my cordless phone to call 911.
Flash forward now nearly 14 years later. My baby did not make it (to view Mormons’ perspective on death, visit these informational sites: “physical death” and “spiritual death.” I will say that families can be together forever. This knowledge helped me with the grief I felt losing my baby (here is an informational link on eternal families).
But getting back to my son’s death, I was told that even if I had remembered CPR, my little son could not have been revived. His lungs had collapsed during the night. A mortician performed an autopsy and told us the diagnosis: “SIDS” (Sudden Infant Death).
Yet I still can remember the frantic feeling of not knowing CPR.
Do you know CPR? If you were once certified by the American Heart Association, Red Cross, or other group, are you still certified? Even if you are certified, if you were at the park tomorrow and a child collapsed, could you remember enough to help him or her properly?
These are all questions which need to be answered. I know that if I collapsed somewhere I would be infinitely grateful for someone who’d had the foresight to learn life saving skills.
Boy Scouts aren’t the only ones who hear “Be Prepared.” In the Mormon church, we are taught that as we wait for Christ’s second coming to be prepared in all things – both spiritual and temporal. In fact, ancient and modern prophets have taught this same wisdom for thousands of years, whether it is having food storage, a financial reserve, or even health (see D&C 89).
So I ask you. Do you know CPR? It’s not been around that long. In fact, according to Richard Match (contributor to the book Reader’s Digest Family Safety & First Aid) 1958 was the first time where breathing in someone’s mouth was noted in use to save a life. This process soon became called “rescue breathing.”
I won’t go into the steps here (I’ve since obtained certification and am actually ordering a CPR Home Learning System for my family to practice with now that they’ve taken classes). But I will suggest that you quickly call your local fire department and inquire about classes.
(The American Heart Association seems to lead the way with the most up-to-date information; local fire departments usually have A.H.A. class information. Of course, you could also take a CPR class from a local Red Cross. The important point is that you take steps now to do so.)
In addition to CPR classes, inquire also about first aid classes. Setting bones and helping victims of sudden weather tragedies, etc., can be so important if your community experienced an emergency (let alone your family).
I lost my child due to SIDS. The mortician told me there was nothing I could have done. But I remember the helpless feeling of “no CPR knowledge” when I found him not breathing. I don’t want that to happen to you! Call and schedule a CPR class today.
For further information on being prepared in all ways (not just CPR and first aid), visit the Provident Living website.
