Less than 24 hours after I downloaded the American Red Cross First Aid app, a dramatic door slamming resulted in a significant bleeding emergency on my patio. My sweet son, Will, who was bringing pieces of gum to my sister and me, pulled the backdoor shut behind him and managed to get two of his fingers stuck between the door and the jam.
I could tell Will was injured by the look on his face, but knew first aid intervention would be needed when, while hugging him, I noticed blood running down his fingers and pooling on the cement. Kids tend to dislike and/or completely freak out at the sight of blood, so while I carried Will inside, my sister tried to keep him from looking at his fingers while simultaneously clearing off the kitchen counters in preparation for the first aid that was to come.
I was incredibly grateful my sister happened to be visiting from Illinois that week – a second set of hands was more than helpful, and it didn’t hurt that her hands are expertly trained in both teaching and carrying out first aid in emergency situations. I strongly recommend that if you’re ever in a situation where you need to provide first aid, grab a family member, friend, or passerby and ask them to help!
Last week I mentioned that Will had spent the afternoon reading through the “Learn” section of the app just so he’d know enough about emergency first aid to pass the challenges. It turns out that, thanks to the app, Will really knows his stuff. While sitting on the kitchen counter and waiting for us to finish investigating the severity of his injury, through his tears Will whimpered, “Are you applying pressure?”
Spoken like a true Red Crosser. I couldn’t be prouder.
Give the new American Red Cross First Aid app (for iOS and Android) a try today!