In life generally, knowing your survival skills is very important. I mean, there are basic things we must learn how to do that are very important in our lives. The first one is first aid. No matter who you are, you must learn how to use first aid on humans. Even on yourself. No matter what we do, it is good to know that some things are very important in our lives. Safety is the first of them all; it is not as if first aid is something difficult to know or learn.
There are some situations where all you need is first aid. For instance, a choking person only needs to be slapped in the back for relief. Or a drowning person who only needs some first aid to be back in their position. Imagine someone who cannot do CPR to bring his or her friend back to life.
I'm not talking basically because I'm into health education, but the fact remains that. It is part of our survival skills, and we should all know how to do a simple thing before we get to the doctor. Only if we all know how good it is to know how to apply first aid. We would all really want to learn it.
Have I helped someone with first aid before? Of course yes, apart from the fact that I studied physical and health education in school, where we get to learn most things about first aid. And also have the box itself, because it is compulsory for everyone who studied my course.
When I got to NYSC camp, I thought of the group I would be joining because I went on time. And then I realized I would have to join as many as possible. So I joined the Red Cross. I joined this redcross because it's part of my field. We are meant to be trained for three weeks; basically, redcross is everywhere, and they use it in all sporting activities because their job is to save lives. In sports activities where there is no red cross, the activities cannot be held. They are valuable and important in every activity, especially sports, and they are there just to save lives.
After a few days of training in camp, it was easy for me because of the work I did in school. I was part of the team, and we were given a first aid box just in case, if need be.
On this day, we had rigorous activities, and on the night of that day, there was a lady who collapsed in their hostel. I believe she collapsed because of stress and some other things. No one knows what exactly they need to do to her to make her feel okay. Fortunately, there was a lady there who is also in the Red Cross. We shared our number, and she told me on the phone that they had a situation with the female hotel. I rushed there, and I saw the lady on the floor lying down helplessly. No one knows what to do.
Well, I rushed to her quickly and removed all the tight things she put on because that was the first thing to do. Believe me, even those tight things can seize her breath. After removing some things she put on and making her free, I noticed she needed more air, so I took her to a place where she would receive air for more breathing. After that, I put her in a recovery position. Putting someone in a recovery position is not hard. You just need to know what to do.
After some minutes, I realized she had gained consciousness. I was happy to see that, to make my work more successful, I needed to take her to the nearest hospital. Just in case she might need more treatment.
This lady is big, and she's three times as big as me. But in first aid, there are ways to carry people who need help. The best way is when you are two. But unfortunately, I'm the only guy, and it was late in the night.
Well, I summoned my courage, and then I took her on my back. The place I'm taking her too was like 200 meters from her side. I used all my power to make sure I was able to take her to the hospital. Funny enough, she looked for me the following morning, and she appreciated what I did for her.
So, I thought, If I'm not prepared, what if I don't know what to do, just like the other people standing? The thing is that you just have to be prepared all the time because the little things can take her life if she doesn't see help on time. I believe little things matter a lot. We should all know how to use first aid.