American Heart Association National CPR And AED Awareness Week
It’s May and here at the Jersey Shore it’s almost time for the beach season to begin. The beaches, much like the roads, become the desired destination of choice for both residents and tourists alike. This time of year brings back a lot of memories of my teenage years.
Rewind to 1983-84. I was tan, shapely and fit back then. I had a full time job as a lifeguard. I loved spending my days in the sun, watching folks have fun and meeting new people. I always thought of it as the perfect job, despite the amount of responsibility that comes with it. I’ve always been grateful that I never once had to use one of the most powerful tools I had – the CPR I learned.
Fast forward to July 1999. My CPR had become almost as out of shape as I had. My infant son CJ was born with a heart defect. He’d been in the NICU a week when I learned that he’d be coming home on oxygen and it was recommended that anyone who was going to spend time with him regularly learn about Infant CPR. Me and RB learned, along with my parents and two brothers. We knew how important CPR could be so we even hung a poster to remind us how to do it on my bedroom wall. I’ve always been grateful and relieved that I knew how to do it but never had to use it.
Fast forward again, this time to 2009. The Infant CPR poster remains on my bedroom wall today. Just in case. Because you never know.
The first week of June, June 1-7, is National CPR And AED Awareness Week. The American Heart Association encourages people to learn about CPR and emergency care. When most people think about learning CPR they probably think of having to go somewhere for a couple of hours or for a couple of nights. That’s how it was when I learned it back in the 1980s. It was the only way you could learn it. Things have changed.
Another way that you can learn CPR is with a CPR Anytime Kit. This is a self paced personal learning program that teaches the basics of CPR in just under a half hour. The kit includes an instructional DVD, an inflatable mannequin and a resource booklet. The kit is available to teach procedures for both infants (for children under 1yr) and children/adults.
I found the kit to be informative and to the point. I was surprised and pleased to see that some of the technique regarding mouth to mouth contact has been updated for personal safety. These kits would be a great purchase for any family or small group just learning about CPR, for people refreshing their knowledge like myself and for mixed groups of novice and experienced.
Kits can be purchased from the online store and retail for $34.95. That’s a small price to pay for having the ability to save a life.
Thanks to Mom Central for including me as a part of this very important blog tour.
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