and more so if you are...

I read this article, and even though it deals with an English mother and child on holiday in Italy, the more I read the more I realised that it could be talking about anyone, of any age and anywhere in the world....

>A Lesson To Learn<

So even though it's a long article, do stick with it to the end and then think about what you KNOW and what you DON'T!

You are absolutely right..and most of us would panic in these type situations.

In most restaurants, in the US, in the kitchen there is poster, explaining the Heimlich maneuver, but I dont think many employees ever pay much attention to it. My daughter in laws bridal shower was in a restaurant. There was some commotion going on in the regular restaurant part. One of the waitresses must have mentioned something about a medical emergency..and one of the bridesmaids from our party got up and ran in there. She was an EMT (emergency medical technician) who worked on ambulances. When she came back we asked her what happened. A guy was choking on a piece of steak.

Now..what if she didnt just happen to be in the place? What if the waitress didnt just happen to mention it? That guy would have been dead, because obviously, even with that poster that probably sits in their kitchen...nobody seemed to do anything execpt for this bridesmaid.

I have one daughter with medical training. I think she would know what to do in most situations, but I think the others would panic. So would I. I get brainfreeze in emergencies...lol

Parents should go for first aid classes. And its too bad that an Epi pen isnt carried by all of us. One never knows what they could be allergic to.

Thanks for this article HH. Very interesting reading and does drive home the point that it would only take a little bit of time to learn enough to prepare for some of the not so uncommon eventualities that could arise if you are an allergy sufferer, or travelling with one.

Wow, Thats quite an article. With Health and Safety being one of my main duties at work, this is a subject that is very touchy with me.

I have been taking First Aid courses since I was 17 and I can not tell you the number of times I thank God that I have. I have always been afraid of death but about six years I took a refresher (and very updated) course in First Aid. Less than two weeks later my nephew had his first seizure. My sister and her husband of course reacted as any parent would..unsure and scared and even more so when no one could identify why it happened or what it was. After talking to her I mentioned that it sounded like nocturnal epilepsy and gave her some tips (oh, and at NO TIME is a spoon or anything else to be given to them). She took him to someone who specializes in this and sure enough, this is exactly what it turned out to be.

Not two days later, my brothers 3 year old decided to have a "hard candy". A few seconds later she began to choke. Now, choking does not mean coughing..if someone is coughing then they have air to the passages and therefore are not choking. She on the other hand was making the motions but no sound was coming out and of course, she was changing color..blue, not red like someone who is choking. That was probably one of the single most frightening moment s of my life. I did the abdominal thrusts until I got sound and then it was a matter of keeping her calm and encouraging her to finish coughing the rest up herself which she did.

My kids all know first aid now..(I insisted on it that summer). I have even taught them to administer it to themselves and is probably the most important thing I have ever taught them. I even showed them from the time they could understand how to remove the storm windows in the house should they need to get out in the event of a fire. We have random firedrills as well (unfortunately they have also learned how to disarm the smoke alarm too).

Honestly, I can't understand why parents wouldn't take the time to go through the basics with their kids. Simple things that can really make a difference between living and dying. I carry First Aid kits, and blankets in the car and there is one in the house too. Emergency numbers are programed into the phones ..I could go on for hours, but you get the message.

My next main purchase is to buy a defibrillator.