The Power to Save a Life Is at Your Fingertips

MARK WHITING Imagine two jumbo jets crashing and killing all on board. That's about how many people die nationwide every day from sudden cardiac arrest outside of the hospital. Now, imagine bystanders with the power to save some of those lives -- literally at their fingertips. That's the power of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the Automated External Defibrillator, or AED. By learning some safe and simple skills anyone can go from being a helpless bystander to a person who is trained, empowered, and prepared to take action in an emergency.

Jane Wilson of Richmond recently told me she was, "Not the type of person who would jump up and run to the rescue," but she came to the rescue this Easter when she helped perform CPR on a member of her Sunday School class at Monument Heights Baptist Church. Jane said, "I was worried that if I ever had to do CPR, I wouldn't remember how, but I was calm. Another member of the class already started compressions and I just instinctively did what I was trained to do. I told them I knew CPR and started helping by opening the airway and giving breaths. It was definitely a team effort." This team effort paid off. The person Jane helped is alive today. "When she opened her eyes and said my name, it was the most amazing thing in the world. I'll never forget it as long as I live."

DURING national CPR/AED Awareness Week -- June 1-7, 2009 -- the Greater Richmond Regional Chapter of the American Red Cross and our region's community chapters in Fredericksburg, Petersburg, Hopewell, and Halifax urge everyone to learn CPR/AED. It is our goal to see that every household and place of work, worship, or recreation has at least one person certified in CPR/AED, and to have more AEDs available throughout our communities.

After all, if you, a loved one, friend, neighbor, or co-worker were the "stranger" in cardiac arrest, wouldn't you want someone to step up and step forward to take action? I received an e-mail from someone who did just that. Jacki Harris, who works for Tredegar, wrote, "I have read that fear produces a flight or fight response. With the knowledge I attained through a Red Cross CPR course, I was able to choose fight -- trusting I had the skills to confront the situation. The class gave me the confidence to turn my fear into action. I am, as anyone who truly knows me can tell you, the world's biggest 'chicken.' Without CPR training, I would never have come to my neighbor's aid and performed CPR. I would have waited for 'help' to arrive. Now, I am 'help' and I have arrived!"

SPEND ABOUT five hours in a CPR/AED class with our friendly, experienced, and knowledgeable Red Cross instructors and you will be comfortable and confident doing CPR and using an AED. Training is now even available online. Classes include people from all walks of life and ages, from preteens to seniors. If you are physically able to do CPR compressions and to get on the floor, you can be certified. Red Cross CPR/AED training combines discussion and interactive video demonstrations, so you practice while you watch. This practice is enhanced with hands-on instructor-led guidance to reinforce critical steps. A workbook and full-color, quick-reference skill review card is provided to each class member.

Sign up for CPR/AED training for yourself and urge your family and friends to do the same. Encourage CPR/AED training and putting AEDs where you work, pray, and play. As Jane Wilson pointed out, "The gift of life is one of the most precious things you can give someone. Get CPR training. Why be helpless when you can learn something to help save a life?"

Contact your local Red Cross chapter or the Greater Richmond Regional chapter at 804-780-2250, or go to GreaterRichmond.RedCross.org and click on "Take A Class." Find out more about CPR/AED training, how to purchase an AED, and all the other extraordinary things the Red Cross does in your community.

From house fires to hurricanes to heart attacks, when emergencies strike, the Red Cross is there for you. Together, we will make sure our community is trained, empowered, and prepared to take action. Lives depend upon it.

Mark Whiting is a senior regional director for the Greater Richmond Regional Chapter of the American Red Cross. Contact him at .