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First aid hero (me) helps train woman

By Mark Cox
November 8, 2010 at 6:18 pm

On the busy tube home last week, I held a woman in my arms, laid her down across a few train seats and suggested she take some of her clothes off.

Now, I know how this looks, but hear me out. At the time, I was sardined in the standing section of a Circle line train when I heard a woman say: ‘She’s fainting’. I turned to see the back of a young woman, one hand attached to a rail, swinging slowly like a drunk chimpanzee. As she dropped (and, I swear, three people moved out the way to give her a good, clean run at the floor) I reached out and grabbed her.

Then things happened very fast, so I’ll list them:

1. Although she was unconscious, her little hand held limpet-like onto the rail, so for a few excruciating seconds I was left publicly yanking away like she was a rusty nail stuck in a wall.

2. I now know what ‘dead weight’ means. The girl was a scrawny wee thing, but it felt like I was heaving John Prescott over to the seats. With bags of coins in his pockets.

3. As I laid her down, someone said: ‘Lie her on her back’ and I heard myself saying: ‘No, I know a bit of first aid, we need to get her in the recovery position.’

4. I’d just lain her down gently on the seat when she opened her eyes and saw my ugly mug staring down at her. She looked very scared and confused (my face will do that in a crowded environment) so I said: ‘You fainted, but don’t worry: you’re fine.’

What sticks in my mind is that a lot of passengers looked a bit embarrassed and even annoyed by the whole thing (how very stuffy and British), but two other chaps were really helpful as well. While I encouraged the girl to take off her hat and scarf and unbutton her jacket, one of them managed to get a bottle of water and the other guy, who was getting off at her stop, offered to walk with her out of the station.

By the time I left the train, she was smiling again and feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole thing. She was also very grateful.

Now, I write first aid stories, proper life-saver stories, all the time and it’s an absolute given that those involved always say No-I’m-no-hero-I-was-just-doing-what-anyone-would-do.

Well, sod that. I am a bone fide hero, and my mask and cape is in the post. I honestly felt really chuffed with myself afterwards and, if possible, even smugger than usual. Why?

- Because I actually dived in to help while most others blanched at the prospect.
- Because I shouted, heaved, grunted and essentially made a right melon of myself in a confined public space – the thought of which even now makes me squirm with embarrassment.
- Because I blurted out ‘I know a bit of first aid’ with an air of doctorly confidence, even while my mind was thinking: ‘Okay, fainting: is this the one where I stick a biro in her neck?’
- Because the poor fainting girl was better off for me being there.

So it’s true: knowing just a smidgeon of first aid gives you that extra bit of confidence when something happens and you have a split-second to decide whether to jump in or not. Of course, not everyone can be a true handsome hero like wot I am, but if you at least learn some first aid you’ll certainly be better prepared the next time a skinny girl faints next to you.

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Tags: emergency response, First aid, first aid tips, first aid training

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