Could you save your child's life?

I've worked with other people's children all my adult life and in that time, I've handled a variety of first aid situations, ranging in severity from critical incidents to minor cuts and scratches, but it was the real life story of one of our mums that got me thinking seriously about every parent's need to know first aid.

With her permission, I share it with you:

One of our Confident Little Kids, Wilson, has a three year old brother named Charlie.

Last year, Charlie fell off a bunk bed at home.

He hit his head, stopped breathing, had no pulse and turned blue.

He was as close to death as it gets.

Fortunately, his mum, Kate, knew how to perform CPR...and that's what she did until the ambulance arrived.

Charlie survived and is a bright and happy boy today because of his mum's quick thinking and the first aid training that she had received.

We never know when we are going to be called upon to help in an emergency.

As our kids grow up, we get involved as sports coaches, excursion helpers and chaperones at discos and camps...

We spend years hosting other people's kids in our backyard and on sleepovers... and I'll bet few of us ever think about what would happen if something went wrong.

Would you know how to deal with a child who has drowned, suffered an asthma attack, epileptic fit, analphylatic or allergic reaction, been hit by a car....?

What about a parent, neighbour or workmate who has had a stroke, fall or cardiac arrest?

The reality is that, one day, something is likely to happen to someone we care about.

A child.

A parent.

A partner.

Kate said that it had been a long time since she had done first aid training, but that the knowledge she needed 'kicked in' when it was needed most...to save her own little boy.

She plans to join us in May when we offer First Aid training for parents at Kids First.

She says she wants to make sure that her knowledge is up to date and that the time she takes to be prepared is worth it.

I absolutely agree.

If you'd like to join us for First Aid training for parents (a not-for-profit Kids First Community Service in Sydney's northern beaches) give us a call on (02) 9938 5419