ASHI and MEDIC First Aid Blog

As promised last week, today we’re featuring some rescue stories from our MEDIC First Aid students.

Instructor Brenda Sullivan, who teaches MEDIC First Aid courses at Maynard High School in Maynard, MA, shares a tale of a lucky father who benefitted from the quick thinking and brave actions of his wife and daughter. 

The father had not been feeling well and slept in late one day. A loud noise brought the daughter to the bedroom to check on him, but all seemed well. Another BANG brought her running back, this time to find him collapsed on the floor in the bathroom.

The man complained of dizziness and, after helping him to a sitting position, she waited a moment while he rested. Suddenly he fell back into her arms. Calling his name did not get a response, so Mom was summoned to call 911.

After an assessment, chest compressions were begun. As often happens, the force of those compressions resulted in a loud crunch, but the brave daughter remembered Brenda’s classroom comment that broken ribs are much better than being dead.

Compressions were continued until the ambulance arrived. Just before the appearance of the local EMS, the father opened his eyes and answered when his name was called. EMS took the man to the hospital where a blockage was found. The doctor credited the daughter’s CPR with saving her father’s life. Three cheers to Caroline Stearns and Debra Bendall for their efforts!

Instructor Jerry Geering of Robertson Fuel Systems gives a well-deserved shout-out to Rob Callahan in Tempe, AZ for interrupting a trip dining out to save someone.

An elderly woman sitting behind Rob at a restaurant began to choke on part of her meal. Rob notified the owner and asked him to call 911. The owner stepped up to perform abdominal thrusts; however, fresh from his training class a mere two months earlier, Rob saw that the owner was doing the technique incorrectly. He offered to assist the woman himself instead.

The second thrust dislodged the offending morsel and the woman began to breathe freely once again. She even asked Rob if he would please show her and her husband right then how to do the technique themselves, as her husband was unable to assist her. “Rob showed them what he had been taught in [his] MEDIC First Aid class,” says Jerry.

Excellent work to all our heroes!  If you know of someone who had the confidence to respond in a medical emergency, let us know! Click the button below to fill out our form and we’ll send you a letter and certificate honoring their efforts.