Take a Class, Save a Life

by Tonya Solis-Mosby, volunteer contributor

If saving lives is your goal, then taking a Red Cross class is your path to achieving the goal. Several classes are planned next month at the Chisholm Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross. Sign up for one today!

“Some people need training for their jobs,” Teresa Filkins, Preparedness Health and Safety Services delivery manager, said recently. “Others take classes for other reasons, but the bottom line is to save lives.”

One such group of potential lifesavers recently finished the first in the series of classes at the Fort Worth chapter. They were a group of people who after completing the First Aid/CPR/AED course would themselves become instructors for the course.

Classes scheduled for August at the Fort Worth chapter include the Blended Learning Class which includes training in adult first aid, CPR, and AED on August 1; an Adult CPR/AED class on August 6; and another First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor’s Course on August 15. The classes are taught by Red Cross volunteers and staff certified in the specific areas.

Costs for the classes, which are offered by the Preparedness Health and Safety Services department of the American Red Cross, vary. To find cost and to register for a class, which is open to the community and small businesses, go to www.redcross.org or call 1-800-redcross at least 24 hours prior to the class meeting date. Here's the full August class schedule for Dallas, McKinney and Fort Worth.

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It’s Hard to Keep a Good Man Down

At age 98, the nation’s oldest American Red Cross blood donor continues saving lives.

In the last 100 years, the world has seen a man walk on the moon, two world wars transpire, the formation of the United Nations and the introduction of LifeSavers candy. While these historical benchmarks are well publicized, another significant event of a “true lifesaver” deserves honor and recognition.

On February 17, 1913, Willard M. Hayne, the nation’s oldest American Red Cross blood donor, was born in Gresham, Oregon. Currently 98 years old, Willard began donating in 1949, just one year after Dr. Carl Walter, a trained surgeon, developed a plastic bag for the collection of blood in place of glass bottles.

“Any chance I can encourage people to donate, I will,” Willard exclaimed. Even later in life, when blood donor regulations limited the upper age limit, Willard returned as a regular donor once the limitation was lifted.

Willard has successfully donated 138 units, eight of which occurred in the last 24 months. Not content to stop at 138 donations, Willard last attempted to give blood in August 2011 and will make another attempt on September 22nd in the Coos Bay area, where he’s been retired (and donating) for the last 18 years.

Willard comes from a history of gratitude and hard work, which is instrumental in his philosophy of blood donation. After retiring from the banking industry, Willard states that he “started from the bottom as a bookkeeper and worked my way up to manager.” He finished his career as bank manager at First National Bank of Oregon in Silverton, which is now a Wells Fargo.

Passing on his donation practice to those around him, Willard has instilled the habit of giving blood in his three children, including a son who has provided directed donations in Minnesota due to his rare blood type. Now that Willard is retired, he’s found friends in fellow blood donors in his retirement community. “I feel grateful that I’m healthy enough to donate. It’s been a blessing to me.”

Beyond donating blood, Willard has also made financial donations to the Red Cross after witnessing how the organization provided emergency services during disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. Although Willard has lived an incredible life of generosity, he is humble when informed of his status as the nation’s oldest American Red Cross blood donor.

“It feels so good to be honored as a donor. I’ve never expected anything in return. You hear about people who need blood and just being able to donate is a gift enough.”

Blood Supply in Texas is in Critical Condition

After months of scorching temperatures, followed by wildfires and hurricanes, the blood supply in Texas is at a critical low. The American Red Cross urges immediate blood donations. Learn more about the immediate need and how you can help save a life.

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Red Cross’s “Best of Preparedness” Guide to iPhone Apps

Wondering if your phone can save you if you are unconscious? There’s an app for that.

Curious if a tornado is in your area? There’s an app for that.

Can your iPhone double as an AED machine? There’s not an app for that… but it would be really cool. You should check out the apps that show you how to conduct proper CPR though.

While iTunes has a category for healthcare, it is buried deep inside the infinite iTunes list and mixed with other fitness apps.

Fear not, Good Samaritans and preparedness freaks, we have gone through millions of apps to bring you iPhones best preparedness apps.

** Note: It is always best to take a class and get certified for emergency situations. Then, use these tools to compliment your training. For more information, click to see the class schedule.

How does the Red Cross “Best of Preparedness” guide work?

· The categories: Save A Life and Disaster Preparedness.
· The description: based on the iTunes description of the app.
· The ratings: based on the average ratings for the app voted on by iTunes users. There can be a total of five "x."
· The price: you probably want to know if the app is free or a million dollars. (no, we did not find any million dollar apps in our search)
· The oops: If we missed one, feel free to add it in the comments section.

Save a Life

American Medical Aid American Medical Aid is the authoritative reference of “WHAT TO DO” when faced with a medical need, emergency or other wise. ×××½ $2.99

Asthma Journal Many doctors recommend Asthma patients to keep a daily journal to keep track of asthma symptoms, potential triggers, and medications. It helps doctors diagnose the cause of asthma and prescribe the most effective treatment. No rating $4.99

Blood Sugar Diabetes Control Finally an easy way to record and keep track of all your diabetic information needs! ×××½ $0.99

CPR & Choking Developed as a public service by leading physicians and educators in emergency care at the University of Washington and King County EMS, the CPR & Choking application provides instant information on how to perform CPR and how to aid a choking victim. ×××½ FREE

Close Call The application that allows you to put in your phone number, a short message, and an image to create custom health alert. ×××½ FREE

Find a Hospital (iHospital) Finds the nearest Hospital based on your location. No rating. $0.99

Health-EE: Medication & Allergy Health Record Health-EE is an encrypted electronic personal health record for the iPhone. By having your health record securely stored on your phone, you can access your medical information any time or place. ×××× $5.99

First Aid Pocket Guide Maybe one of the most important things you can have in your pocket is a trustworthy first aid guide from Parasol EMT. It provides simple to follow treatment guides, including an introduction to first aid, essentials of first aid, most common trauma and medical emergencies. ××½ $1.99

ICE (In Case of Emergency) Pro Version ICE (info needed “In Case of EMERGENCY”) for iPhone and iPod Touch helps you keep track of your Medical Emergency contacts, you Medical history, your Allergies/reactions, your Medications and other important medical data. The app gives immediate access to your medical information which is useful to doctors, paramedics and other emergency personnel responding to accidents, crimes and disasters. ×× $0.99

iFirstAid If you don’t, “iFirstAid” is the right application for your needs. It is an easy to use application that will allow you to correctly handle an emergency situation. All the basic information you need for the correct handling of an emergency case is illustrated and shortly described. ××½ FREE

iTeamAgenda Blood Pressure iTeamAgenda Blood Pressure helps you manage your Blood Pressure. You can use it to save your results locally and on the TeamAgenda server. No rating $0.99

iTeamAgenda Diabetes iTeamAgenda Diabetes helps you mange your Diabetes. You can use it to save the results locally and on the TeamAgenda server. No rating $0.99

Pet First Aid Your four-legged family members rely on you for their care, so be prepared 24/7 for a medical emergency. From cuts and impalement, to choking and CPR, Pet First Aid is at your fingertips with detailed articles, video, and illustrations to help you care for your dog and cat. Record your pet’s vital medical information to ensure their veterinarian is never more than a touch away, and your pet will never miss another vaccination. ×××× $2.99 for a limited time

Pocket First Aid & CPR Guide Whether you’re at home, on the road, or in the woods, the American Heart Association’s Pocket First Air & CPR application is at your fingertips with concise, clear instructions to care for you and your loved ones. ×××× $3.99

Disaster Preparedness

All Weather All Weather provides you with all your weather needs direct from Weather Underground, All data is formatted in a friendly iPhone/iPod Touch format for fast loading, even on edge. ××½ $0.99

Emergency Distress Beacon You’re lost in the middle of nowhere. You’re trapped in an earthquake, hurricane or other emergency situation. This simple application, when activated, sends out a distress beacon with your current location to rescuers. ××½ FREE

Emergency Radio Emergency Radio lets you listen to over 1,000 live police, fire, EMS, and other emergency frequencies. ×××½ $0.99

EZ Radar – TX EZ Radar TX gives you ANIMATED radar coverage for ALL of Texas direct from the National Weather Service. Why buy a radar application with a bunch of radars you don’t need and that’s complicated to use, get EZ Radar now for your area! ××½ $0.99

Hurricane Hurricane, the most popular and best selling Hurricane Tracking Application, gives you the ability to track these storms on the go using your iPhone or iPod Touch. Satellite images and tracking maps helps you see where these monster storms are heading. ×××½ $3.99

Weather Alert WeatherAlert is a simple weather notification application that will display alerts for your area such as Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Floods, etc. ××× $0.99

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Blood Confession (part 1)

I have a confession. I cannot believe I'm going to admit it. But, I am sure that some of you know exactly how I feel.

I have never given blood.

It is not because I don’t want to save a life, because I do. It is not because I have a disease that prevents me from giving blood.

I am terrified of needles.

It isn’t a “Goodness, needles are so scary” phobia. It is a knock-me-out-because-I-do-NOT-want-to-be-awake-if-you-are-coming-within-20-miles-of-me-with-a-needle phobia.

For example, a few years ago, I needed an IV for a MRI scan. The needle came out, and I went down. In fact, I passed out three times.

It actually went something like this: the needle emerges… I pass out… I throw up… I pass out… I throw up… the doctor picks me up off the floor… I pass out again.

In Marlee Matlin’s memoir, an American Red Cross celebrity cabinet member, wrote about the importance of giving blood. I started to feel really guilty. If I ever need blood, I hope that someone would be willing to share some of theirs with me, even if they are devastatingly afraid of needles.

Since today, is World Blood Donor Day, I thought it was a good idea to take my first step towards being a blood donor. After enlisting my friend, Hannah, to share in my horror, we headed to the nearest blood drive to face my fear.

They took us into rooms to check our iron levels. My result: 12.3. (In case you don’t already know, 12.5 is the minimum iron level needed to give blood. The reason behind this: the people receiving the blood need the best possible since they are already sick). After a second attempt (12.2), I realized the inevitable.

I couldn’t give blood.

Hannah ended with an 11.2. We should have looked over the tips for a good donation experience.

Determined not to let a lack of iron bring us down, we took the tips to heart and have been eating iron-rich foods, in addition taking good multi-vitamins. So, we will head back to the blood center after our iron is high. I’ll let you know how this time goes.

Until then… to be continued.

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