Our Heroes

I recently took a CPR class, and I never would have guessed how quickly it came in handy. Less than a week after the class, I am hanging with a few friends late night on the porch, when my mother came walking through the door, home from work and exhausted. She said her hellos to my friends and continued to the fridge. She went for the steak my Dad had cooked earlier that evening. As tired as she was, she didn't cut the steak very well and began to choke on a large piece. She stumbled to the door from the kitchen to the porch and flung it open. I saw my mom standing there with her hands around her neck trying to tell us she was choking. My friends were freaking out and yelling call the police; call the ambulance. Without thinking, I stood up, flew over to my mom, spun her around, found her belly button, and preformed the Heimlich maneuver 3 times to unlodge the steak. My Mom turned around and shook my hand and said "Thank you, you saved my life." I'll never forget that moment. I also had Brian Mercer to thank for taking the time to teach me everything about CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. Thank you Brian for helping me save my Mom!

Two weeks after taking a CPR course with Brian's Band of Heroes Company, I was unexpectedly surprised when I was in a Local North Andover Restaurant, and I heard a scream. From behind a wall, I heard what turned out to be her boyfriend hysterically screaming. Everyone in the restaurant was already starring at this 26-year-old girl who was not breathing and her heart had stopped. No pulse. I used CPR to get her breathing again. She did not open her eyes but kept her alive until the paramedics came and took her out on a stretcher to the hospital.. What astounded me was the fact that there were perhaps 12 adults there and no one there knew what to do. This was the first time I ever did CPR on anyone, and I was sure glad that Brian taught CPR well. Not just teaches but does it thorough and well.

When my daughter was born, I took a CPR course. Then, four years later, after my son was born, I took a second CPR class to refresh my training. While on holiday, Brian, who is my brother-in-law, asked me to demonstrate my training and afterwards gave me an A.

When our son was eleven months old, my husband came home from work, picked up our son and went to change his clothes. He removed his change from his pocket and was unaware that a quarter had fallen on the carpet and that our son had immediately picked-up and put in his mouth. While holding him, our son soon began to make a strange noise, we looked in his mouth but were unable to see anything and were confused as a baby, unlike an adult, cannot indicate what's happening. He then turned purple and passed out. Using my CPR training, I was able to dislodge the quarter and just like that he was breathing, pink and crying. We were told later that a person has four to six minutes before brain damage or death. I doubt the ambulance would have arrived in time. I am not a hero, what I did that was so important was to take the time to take a CPR course just in case I would ever need it. Then, I did need it! CPR saves lives and knowing CPR saved my son's life. By the way, he is now 25!