Written by Melanie Pinette

Love is one of the strongest human emotions. Especially that between a parent and child. When you ask any mom or dad what their favorite thing about being a parent is, with a warm smile, they will give you a list a mile long. Then there are those times when you make a quick stop at the store to pick up milk and your toddler decides to have a complete and total melt-down because he just can’t understand why a ring-pop before nap-time isn’t such a good idea. No matter what stressful situation arises, one thing is for sure… “We wouldn’t trade them for the world!”. Every parent imagines what a strong, hardworking, successful man their son will grow up to be. Or what a beautiful, educated young woman their daughter will become. We do our best to teach them right from wrong, instill good moral values, and most importantly, protect them from the harsh dangers of this ever-changing world. When I was a kid, we rode in the back of pickup trucks (seat belts were just a cosmetic feature on vehicles… who used them anyway?), bicycles helmets were about as common as three-legged birds, and when the street lights came on, we knew it was time to go home. Now, we make sure our child has a helmet, knee-pads, elbow-pads, wrist guards, mouth guard, face shield, and body armor before heading out to ride their bike in the driveway! Well, maybe not that much, but we do try our hardest to never let them get hurt. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but when it comes to the most important protection of all, most parents fall short. When people think of CPR, they think of the movies… “It’ll never happen to me” or “I can do CPR… I’ve seen it done so many times on T.V!“. Life is so precious, and can be gone in the blink of an eye. In 1995 I lost my son to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). As the saying goes, “A parent should never have to bury their child”. To lose a child is something that causes the most indescribable pain a human being can feel, both physically and mentally. Some people never recover, while others use it to gain strength. Watching the dedicated medics and firefighters perform CPR on my baby and do everything within their power to try and save him, made me have a new found respect for these courageous individuals. Years later, and after much soul searching, I finally decided to go back to school and become an EMT. After graduating, I was scanning the classifieds for jobs and came across In-Pulse CPR. They were looking for instructors and assistants. That was the perfect way of turning my tragedy into a tool to educate people on the importance of this life saving procedure. I met with Troy Bowman, and was hired on the spot. Although I am only an assistant at the time, I am soon going to be trained and certified as an instructor.

One of the first things I ask when I meet any new parents is, “Are you certified in infant CPR?”. Most of them reply with, “Well, I’m not certified, but I’m sure I could do it if I had to”. It breaks my heart to think that people assume it’s as easy as 1..2..3. I can’t stress enough how important this skill is! Obviously, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to perform CPR, but knowing the different techniques between infant, adolescence and adult, and doing it correctly can mean the difference between life and death. In-Pulse CPR is a great company with a truly dedicated staff. We will work with you to not only make sure you know the proper steps to take, but to fully understand the mechanics of what you’re doing. Please take a moment to see when and where the classes are being held. This small investment could one day save your loved one’s life!