When Aerin Thomas, students in Frisco ISD, learned hands-on CPR learning PE class, she never imagined she'd need to use it. When her father went into cardiac arrest and her mother did not know what to do, it was Aerin who saved her father's life.
Aerin's story: Your day I save my dad's life with CPR
\”Mom and I were in the supermarket when Dad called. That was odd because he normally would rather text. I heard Mom asking if he needed an ambulance. We quickly left the store and went home, that is just a couple of minutes away.
When we got home, Dad was sitting on the bed and said he was beginning to feel good. Mom and Dad were talking, trying to puzzle out if they needed to go to the hospital. I started to create groceries in from the car and was putting things away so the dog wouldn't get into everything. The next matter I knew, Dad was unconscious on the bed, and Mom was calling 911.
I remember her calling to me after which, she was on the telephone. She tossed me the telephone to speak to the emergency responders and give them our address while she started CPR. I was just focused on telling them exactly where we lived so they could get there! The dispatcher also asked me questions like \”Is he breathing?\” I remember glancing at what was going on and saw Mom wasn't doing CPR generate an income had learned. And so i informed her after which took control of. As i was doing CPR, I had been just thinking about the song Stayin' Alive and trying to keep the beat for compressions. Not much else happening i believe. I had been just focused and wondering just how long it might go ahead and take ambulance to obtain there.
I didn't think I would ever have to actually use CPR, but I paid attention in PE and paid attention to what they told us to do. We watched online simulations and practiced having a manikin. I didn't stop CPR before the paramedics came, about 5 minutes later.
Once the paramedics arrived, I stood by and watched. The Battalion Chief, Paul Henley, allow me to ride with him to the hospital.\”
Lucky to be alive
Joe was on his method to the Centennial Medical Center in Frisco in just Fifteen minutes of his wife, Angela, placing that 911 call. On the way, however, his conditioned worsened. \”They told me he wasn't succeeding, and the risk was increased from the level 2 to a level 1,\” Angela remembers.
Upon arrival, he was discovered to have a 100% blockage in a single artery along with a 40% blockage in another. In the catheterization lab and during the process to position a stint within the blocked artery, Joe suffered another heart attack.
Just like countless other heart attack victims and their families, Angela was clueless that he what food was in risk. \”We know this sounds ridiculous, but we really did not know. He is not overweight and had not experienced any symptoms before.\”
In the ICU, Joe was placed in a medically induced coma and given hypothermia therapy to slow the mind and heart down, prevent brain damage and permit the heart time for you to heal.
After 72 hours in a coma, Joe was woken up and miraculously had no brain damage or any other long-term physical effects. He spent three days in ICU and was at the hospital for a total of eight days. Doctors credit the rapid response from the emergency services and also the utilization of correct protocols for his quick and full recovery-that and Aerin's immediate use of CPR.
Joe owes his life to his daughter. \”I am so proud of Aerin just for jumping in and doing what needed to be done. That is quite astounding for a 12-year-old to have the confidence and mental fortitude to stay calm in a very stressful situation.\”
Lucky to become alive, Joe wants others to learn from his experience. \”When faced with an existence and death situation, don't be concerned about if you're doing things right or are qualified, just do something! Also, we all know it's trite, try not to take anything as a given. There exists a unique understanding of how fragile life can be. Don't waste a minute or a word. Live intentionally and with gratitude.\”
Hands-Only CPR
Aerin's quick-thinking and knowledge of CPR saved her father's life. While nothing can replace the hands-on experience with a CPR training course, if you find yourself in a situation where CPR is required, here are some ideas.
- Push hard and fast in the center of the chest area to the rate of 100-120 compressions each minute. Approximately within the rhythm of \”Stayin' Alive\” through the Bee Gees.
- Compressions should be with enough contentration to compress the chest 1 inch. This is much harder than you realized and could require you to put your system weight into it.
- CPR with breaths should only be performed by somebody who has received formal CPR training. In this case, breaths ought to be succumbed a 30:2 compressions-to-breaths ratio.
Open your heart!
Someone dies from heart disease, stroke or another coronary disease every 43 seconds within this country. They miss out on life's precious moments. They leave behind friends and family who loved them.
The mission of the American Heart Association is \”to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke\”, we ask you to enable them to fulfill this mission by looking into making a donation.
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