Maria MeKeel, head nurse at Village Pediatrics, has taught Red Cross Babysitting and CPR classes to youth and adults in the community for over fifteen years. From time to time people will get in touch with Maria to share their stories of challenge or triumph. Recently the mother of a young woman, Flora age 15, came in to share a story about her daughter’s courageous actions. At the age of 13 this girl completed a CPR class offered by Maria at the Century Center, and went on her way, quite possibly doubting that she would ever have the need to put her newly developed skills to use. In April of this year Flora was shopping at a mall in Florida with her grandparents when her grandfather collapsed. The girl quickly assessed the situation, and upon finding that her grandfather had no pulse, she began chest compressions and mouth to mouth resuscitation. She continued performing CPR until paramedics arrived and took over the care of her grandfather. This young woman had single handedly sustained the life of her grandfather, while a crowd of adults looked on. As it turned out her grandfather had suffered from a massive heart attack and died 5 days later. The fact that he survived for those additional days can be directly attributed to the quick thinking and skillful action of his granddaughter. So many times in life we may wonder if one person can really make a difference in the world, and as this story demonstrates, in some situations one person can make all the difference in the world.
