and Steve, and I retreated to the waiting
area to await the results. Only then did
I hear how close my father had already
come to dying that night.
Life-saving Lesson 1: Make sure your
loved ones know Jesus. You;never;know
when their time is up.
After the Orioles game, my Dad felt a
lump in his throat and was slightly short
of breath. He felt a little odd but was well
enough to drive about 60 miles to the
home;they;share;with;my;brother;Mike;in
Frederick,;Maryland.;When;they;arrived
home, my dad stopped in the main part of
the;house;and;talked;for;a;while;with;Mike
while my mom went to their basement
apartment to get ready for bed. They sur-mised;that;my;dad;had;then;walked;down
the stairs and soon after that, collapsed
in his bedroom. That is where my mom
found;him.;She;checked;for;his;pulse;and
breathing but found none. She immediately began a series of chest compressions
and gave my dad a breath. Then she yelled
for;my;brother,;who;was;one;floor;above,
and;continued;compressions.;By;the;grace
of God my brother was within earshot.
He;called;911;and;then;began;helping;my
mom with compressions.
Life-saving Lesson 2: Teach your children not only how to dial 911 but also
how to use the “speaker” or “hands free”
option on your phone. If they are alone,
this feature will enable them to interact
with;the;911;operator;even;as;they;per-
form;CPR.;Most;911;operators;are;trained
to;give;CPR;instructions;over;the;phone.
My mother and brother continued to
perform;CPR;until;the;ambulance;crew
arrived. After multiple shocks with an
AED;(Automated;External;Defibrillator),
my;dad’s;heartbeat;reluctantly;went;back
into rhythm for a while. He continued to
stop breathing and required intervention
by the EMTs multiple times. Once in the
ambulance, he regained consciousness,
Unlike;most;patients;in;this;condition,
my dad arrived in the ER breathing and
communicating.
What saved my dad’s life was the
prompt;application;of;CPR;by;my;mom
and brother. Though my mom is pe-
tite (smaller than many middle school
children), she displayed the strength
of a warrior. She acted promptly, cried
out;to;the;Lord,;began;CPR,;and;called
immediately for help. My brother, also
trained;in;CPR,;was;able;to;help;her;with
compressions when she grew tired. In-
dividuals from two generations, both of
whom;had;exposure;and;knowledge;of
CPR,;worked;together;to;effectively;keep
oxygen circulating through my dad’s
body until the emergency crew arrived.
Life-saving Lesson 3: It is important to
recognize that precious seconds can be
lost even in dialing 911. Ideally, one per-
son;will;dial;911;while;another;is;actively
performing;CPR.;Including;CPR;in;your
homeschool curriculum increases the
www.TheOldSchoolhouse.com
To learn Hands-only CPR visit bit.ly/1b2eNTV (American Heart Association video)
What saved my
dad’s;life;was;the
prompt application
of;CPR;by;my
mom and brother.
