Lifesaving 101

Here's a flashback to the time we learned CPR and First Aid with the Belize Red Cross at Fido's in San Pedro. 

Living on a remote island means basic first aid skills are a must. Our little island had a few doctors and a decent sized polyclinic with the capacity to perform routine medical tests and treat minor ailments however there were no emergency services on that island, no hospital and as far as I was concerned, no peace of mind. 

I stayed awake many a night wondering what would become of us should a medical emergency arise outside of the clinic hours. Sure, a neighbor would likely race off in their golf cart to go fetch Dr. Dan who would likely patch us up nicely or bring the appropriate medication and in a life threatening situation we could pay the $500 USD for B.E.R.T. (Belize Emergency Response Team) to fly us to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City however even there, first world medical care is not really available. One has to travel to Guatemala or Mexico for that. So you see the importance of knowing how to respond to a choking emergency for example. It really could be the difference between life and death for one of us, a visiting tourist or a local neighbor. You never know, which is why the SP Red Cross felt it so important to equip residents of the island with this basic knowledge. We had NO disaster response team on the island either. In a place with frequent hurricanes and at least one earthquake while we lived there, I thought it was rather alarming. 

Needless to say, I was eager to sign up for this class and couldn't be happier with the decision. The instructors came over from the mainland for the day to provide this very valuable training. They were incredibly friendly, funny and suprisingly knowledgeable. I guess sometimes being in a less than 100% developed country tends to make me forget that intelligent life is often more abundant the further away from civilization you get. 

We learned a ton from this experience and most of all gained some peace of mind. I think we've all been sleeping a little better since and I highly recommend doing this as a family no matter where you live.