Good lesson for all

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

Pam Horton's grocery list didn't include performing CPR two Wednesdays ago, but that's exactly what she and an acquaintance did when they came across a dying man.

Horton was shopping in Carrs two weeks ago when she came across a man suffering a heart attack. Nobody jumped in to help the man, and Horton's CPR card was expired, so she was a little hesitant.

"I was amazed nobody helped him, and by that time a guy I know came up the aisle and started doing mouth-to-mouth. That's when I got down and did some chest pumps," Horton, a Willow Elementary teacher, said. "The man started coughing. I was amazed it worked."

Unfortunately, the ending to the story isn't a real happy one. The man passed away hours later at the hospital due to an aneurysm. But it does show how important it is to have a knowledge of first aid -- especially in Alaska, where recreational opportunities often take people off the road system for days at a time.

Horton and the man who helped -- Darrell Godbee -- easily could have saved the man's life. Neither are medical experts, yet they could have been the difference between life and death for a complete stranger.

They were just going out for groceries, something people do every single day. "It won't happen to me," is a popular way of reasoning not having first aid training, but as Horton and Godbee attest, it can happen to you when you least suspect it.

"Nobody wanted to help. I was just so surprised," Horton said. "I think everybody standing around the man was in shock."

One easy way to get past that shock is to take a basic first aid class. They are offered by a number of groups, including the American Red Cross Mat-Su Branch.

Having a working knowledge of first aid is important for everybody, but especially in Alaska. Backpackers heading down the trail for a three-day trip should know how to prepare a splint. Anglers should know how to stop bleeding on a cut caused by an errant hook. Campers should know how to treat a burn.

On any given day, these types of minor emergencies, and unthinkable others, can arise without warning in Alaska's backcountry.

We should borrow a theme from the Boy Scouts and always be prepared. Sure, Horton's CPR card had expired, and she may not have been as up-to-date as she could have been. But simply having that background allowed her and Godbee to help a dying man.

Without any prior training, neither would have had the ability to help the man, however. A simple first aid course gave them both the ability to chip and help.

Taking a first aid course may seem like an inconvenience as summer schedules keep everyone running here and there.

Imagine if you were the person slipping in and out of consciousness in Carrs, suffering from a heart attack, and everybody else was sitting there watching, because they didn't know how to perform CPR.

Begging for help, you can only watch as people look at each other, hoping somebody else will jump in and save your life.

Is it an inconvenience then?

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor.