Friday, December 14, 2007

Know this

Yeterday, at our district Christmas party, I saw a man save a life. Someone was choking and he performed the Heimlich manuever. He was very calm, which is important, and he knew what to do and all is now well.

Know how to do this. Someday, you may be the only person in a room who does. And you may save a life.

You ask the person to stand. You stand behind them. You tell them
calmly, that you know the Heimlich maneuver. You place your arms around
their waist. You make a fist, thumb towards the person, and place it just
above their belly button – beneath the rib cage so as to not break any
bones. You grab your fist with your other hand. You push your fist,
upward, five times into their abdomen, hard enough to be effective. You
save a life.

7 comments:

Janice Thomson said...

A very apt and timely message ECD

Rebecca said...

Something we should all know how to do...It must be an amazing thing to witness death being thwarted.

Eastcoastdweller said...

Thank You, Janice. Pass it along.

Rebecca: I agree. Perhaps some of us have the fear of stepping forward and doing it wrong or failing to succeed.

Personally, I would rather have someone break one of my ribs in the process of saving my life than stand around in fear of doing so as I choke to death.

It was amazing to see. Just his calm actions, almost casual, as if he did this every day.

Leslie Hawes said...

The Heimlich can even be performed on yourself if you are alone. The back of a soft chair, or anything that can double as a rescuers fist, used in the same location in the gut.
Don't hesitate if you are alone. You won't have time to wait for emergency help.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choking

StayAtHomeKat said...

Important post here.

an emergency ... presence of mind is required. that calm in response is important.

such an act one may never be called on to perform however one day you might be the someone who indeed can save a life.

visualizations... replaying in one's mind that which is necessary to do.... can be the big assist if such a day comes.
so thinking about it every once in a while is a good strategy in being prepared

living alone... the life you save might be your own.

panic is understandable
people in panic forget to do what is most important
in case of Fire... Drop and Roll
think ahead, plan ahead...so the proper response comes naturally, automatically...

Lone Grey Squirrel said...

Thanks for sharing. It must have been great to have witness its effectiveness first hand.

Eastcoastdweller said...

Thank you all for your comments. I made this the subject of my weekly newspaper column and would you believe it, the son of Dr. Heimlich called up the paper and alerted them to the controversy over the whole thing. Apparently, Jr. hates Daddy Heimlich and thinks he's a fraud and took credit for the HM when someone else invented it.

Who knows?