Everyone at some point in their life has heard the phrase "knowing CPR could save a life," but really what are the chances that you'll ever actually need to save someone's life? Well, according to the Red Cross "approximately one in 10 deaths in Canada results from a heart attack..." and knowing what to do when you see someone go into cardiac arrest could save their life (www.redcross.ca, 2014).
On Sunday August 19th, 2018 at the Edmonton marathon Studio B, alongside Lululemon, and Cycle Bar held a cheer station for all participants which involved loud music, jumping on trampolines, encouraging runners in any way possible, and for our instructor Erika (alongside a couple others), saving a life. Erika is a Pediatric Sports Medicine Doctor, and that morning she just happened to come join us to cheer before heading to Holland Plaza to teach a class. For Erika it was all instinct. She saw a man go down rounding the corner by our cheer station and ran directly to him, checked to see if he had a pulse, and immediately began doing CPR. A dentistry student by the name of Levi was also on scene and was able to assist, due to the nature of his education with CPR training being a necessity. Had Erika and Levi not been there and not been trained in CPR due to their professions, this half-marathon runner would not have survived.
We wanted to write this post to bring awareness to the importance of CPR and knowing First Aid, no matter your profession. Often times in these situations people get scared, and think "what if I don't do it right? What if I do more damage than good?" Well thankfully in our province as well as many others exists a "Good Samaritan" legislation, which "protects those who voluntarily come to the assistance of others in emergency situations" (www.redcross.ca, 2014). We are not saying that anyone who has never had CPR training should jump to the scene of an emergency; however, we DO encourage all of you to complete their Frist Aid/CPR Certification so that if another incident like this were to happen, you could be the person who saves someone's life. To sign up for training or to learn more check out the City of Edmonton website here: https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/first-aid-courses.aspx.
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