Life is full of uncertainties. Lots of stuff can happen when we least expected it and accidents can happen any time no matter how safe people think they are. People can get injured out of the simplest things and lives could be in danger as a result of an action that we thought were harmless. And so, when such incidents occur, we cannot always wait for professional medical help to arrive to treat people as small injuries can get worst if not provided with immediate help that is why to prevent further harm and complications to people, basic knowledge about first aid is a must to help to preserve people's lives. Thankfully, not only did I have the knowledge but also have been trained in administering first aid to people so when an emergency happens before, I was able to apply it appropriately when needed specially during this incident that I was about to tell in this post.
Usually, the most that I would use first aid was to treat open wounds or burns of certain state but this one was more serious and could have ended in fatality if not taken care of properly. On the Christmas day of 2017, one of my mom's goddaughter comes to visit together with their parents to get her "Aguinaldo" or Christmas gift which is a common Filipino tradition. As it was already close to noon that time, they were offered to stay and join for lunch, something that is not really out of the ordinary. I do not join them though cause out dining table was not that big enough for all of us to eat comfortably so I decided to eat in my room while watching some Anime.
However, not even before I finished my food, I hear a sudden commotion outside with my mom's goddaughter choking, due to the food that she eat. Apparently, she just gobbled up the meat without chewing and it becomes an obstruction on her airway, preventing her to breathe. Everyone was in panic and do not know what to do as the child who's only 5 at that time. They were trying for her to drink some water but it can't and was a very wrong way to do since it could just worsen the situation as the water could just enter to her nose which will further make it hard for here to breathe. At that time, I take over to the parents, telling them to calm down and call an ambulance while I try to apply first aid to the child. The first thing I do was get into the back of the child then wrap my arms to the child's waist with my thumbs side, making a fist. After that, I apply pressure to the child's abdomen so as to force the food to be removed in her airway and thankfully, the obstruction was removed and once removed, the girl finally lets a loud cry. In the end, we ended up not needing to sent her to the hospital as the obstruction was already been removed so they leave our home after the child gets some rest.
Once again, I realized how important having knowledge on applying first aid is and that applying first aid to people can be a matter of life and death. Also, I realized how important it is for people to calm down on such situations because instead of helping, they might end up worsening the situation.
Thank you for reading my post and see you on the next one!
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