It was a Friday night. The *family was finishing their Shabbos meal when their 2 year-old suddenly began to choke on a small piece of watermelon. The panicked parents tried the traditional slaps on the back, but it failed to dislodge the obstruction. The child began to turn blue from lack of oxygen, r”l. Fortunately, an uncle, who had been taught the Heimlich maneuver years before, happened to be on hand. He quickly sprang into action, lifted the child and began to repeatedly perform the technique.
Learn CPR and First Aid
It was a Friday night. The *family was finishing their Shabbos meal when their 2 year-old suddenly began to choke on a small piece of watermelon. The panicked parents tried the traditional slaps on the back, but it failed to dislodge the obstruction. The child began to turn blue from lack of oxygen, r”l. Fortunately, an uncle, who had been taught the Heimlich maneuver years before, happened to be on hand. He quickly sprang into action, lifted the child and began to repeatedly perform the technique.
In the meantime, another family member phoned Hatzalah. Within a minute or so after the call went out over the dispatch system, several units were on the scene, including two EMTs, a fellow paramedic and myself. Upon entering the apartment, we saw an adorable little boy with long blond locks bouncing playfully on his father’s lap, totally oblivious to the commotion. He was fine, thank G-d. The uncle’s life-saving techniques – learned all those years ago – had been effective in clearing the child’s passage, enabling him to breathe again. It would not be a stretch to say that this bit of knowledge and skill may very well have saved the child’s life. It is also true that the above episode is only one of many like it.
While Hatzalah has a quicker response time than virtually any emergency medical system in the world, there are many circumstances in which a split-second action can mean all the difference in the world, a choking child being but one example. While we all hope and pray to never be faced with any such situation, the reality is that Hatzalah responds to hundreds upon hundreds of calls for help on a yearly basis. In other words, these things do happen – and without warning at that. Many of your own neighbors, relatives and friends have been there.
Knowing what to do on the spot – in a flash – until professional help arrives on the scene can make all the difference to the fate of a loved one.
It is for this reason that we are offering the community a crash course on CPR and First Aid that will teach quick-action, life-saving skills and techniques. The course will cover the proper steps for administering emergency CPR, what to do for choking victims of all ages and the basics of first aid for many common emergencies. The program will also provide a question-and-answer session. The goal is to equip as many people as possible with the knowledge and skills to do what must be done when every second counts.
For further information or to sign up for the course, please call (818) 681-5331 or email jewishcpr@gmail.com.
* It should be noted that the family with whom the above incident occurred specifically requested that their story be publicized, so that more people would be motivated to develop the necessary skills to act when a life is hanging in the balance. May Hashem continue to protect us all.
