©InfoWhen confronted with a cardiac arrest casualty, care worker Mel Palmer had to give CPR for a gruelling eight minutes – but thanks to her first aid training saved the man’s life.
Mel (29), from Bristol, recently did a Red Cross first aid at work course and her work in the care industry means she uses her skills on an almost daily basis. But when an elderly man suddenly collapsed with an apparent heart attack, the pressure was really on.
She recalled: “I had to do CPR for eight minutes. When you’re doing the training, there’s always someone to oversee you – but this time, I had to rely on my own resources. However, thanks to the Red Cross’ brilliant training it all came back to me automatically. I kept him going until the ambulance crew arrived and took over.”
‘Incredible’ actions
The casualty was rushed to hospital and fitted with a pacemaker. Happily, his son later visited Mel to let her know he’d made a full recovery.
Mel added: “It was only afterwards that I realised I was quite shocked and had to sit down for a couple of hours to think about what had happened. I just thought: Wow, I’ve saved someone’s life!
“Looking back on it now, it’s really rewarding to know that I did something incredible for a family. If it had been my relative who’d been saved, I would have been chuffed to bits. I hope that if something similar ever happens to me, there’ll be someone with first aid training to look after me.”
Become a first aid volunteer
How to help a heart attack casualty