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Eight-year-old Herefordshire schoolgirl saves brother’s life
Minnie Albright uses BHF life-saving skills learnt at school to save choking brother
Eight year old Pembridge schoolgirl Minnie Albright, heroically saved her brother’s life when he choked on a coin after attempting a magic trick that went horribly wrong. Minnie learnt how to save a life when she attended the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Heartstart course at Pembridge School (1).
Minnie was playing with her brother Gabriel, aged four, upstairs when the accident happened. Gabriel attempted a magic trick he had seen on television where a magician put a coin in his mouth, only to spit two coins out. Gabriel accidentally swallowed the coin which blocked his airway, causing him to stop breathing.
Minnie quickly remembered the life-saving steps she learnt at school. She immediately recognised that his airway was blocked and used the back blow technique she had been taught. The coin didn’t shift and so Minnie performed abdominal thrusts before trying further back blows and managed to dislodge the coin.
Merry Albright, 36, said: “I was downstairs having a cup of coffee with Minnie’s grandmother when it happened. I am so proud of my daughter, I had no idea that
she had learnt life-saving skills in school, but I am so glad she did. If she hadn’t been taught what to do, I’d probably only have one child now. I would have panicked if I’d been in the same situation as Minnie was, but luckily, she kept her cool.”
Heartstart is a free training programme created by the BHF that teaches emergency life support skills (ELS) including assessing an unconscious casualty, performing CPR, dealing with choking and serious bleeding, and helping someone that may be having a heart attack.
In Herefordshire, the programme is run by Herefordshire Heartstart and includes training for teachers and teaching assistants on how to deliver Heartstart in their schools as part of lessons including Citizenship, PE, Science, PSHE and skills for life.
Loraine Coleman, Herefordshire Heartstart Co-ordinator & Schools Project Manager, said: “If any school doubted the value of delivering Heartstart training to their pupils, Minnie’s story is proof of how it can mean the difference between life and death. All schools in Herefordshire have been offered this opportunity and many schools in Herefordshire are delivering Heartstart, but there are still a handful that are not”.
Merry was so impressed by her daughter’s quick-thinking, that she has gone on to do a Heartstart course herself.
Merry added: “I can’t thank Herefordshire Heartstart and Pembridge School enough for teaching my daughter these vital skills. I hope that by talking about what happened, more schools will think seriously about teaching their children these skills that could save a life.”
For more information about the BHF’s Heartstart scheme visit www.bhf.org.uk/heartstart or contact Herefordshire Heartstart at info@herefordshireheartstart.org.
ENDS
This story was picked-up by both the Mail and the Sun on a national level:
Mail Online: Wannabe magician, 4, saved by his sister after choking on a coin
If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you can watch a video of Minnie telling her story.
The Sun (print) and online: Sis saves choking boy, four
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Hear the BBC Hereford and Worcester Radio Interview by Andrew Easton with Minnie and Merry Albright:-
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/104102702″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
(1) Heartstart is a free training programme created by the BHF that teaches emergency life support skills (ELS). These skills include assessing an unconscious casualty, performing CPR, dealing with choking and serious bleeding, and helping someone that may be having a heart attack.
For more information please call the BHF press office on 020 7554 0164 or 07764 290381 (out of hours) or email newsdesk@bhf.org.uk
Notes to Editors
About Heartstart
Heartstart is a free training programme created by the BHF that teaches emergency life support skills (ELS). These skills include assessing an unconscious casualty, performing CPR, dealing with choking and serious bleeding, and helping someone that may be having a heart attack. Performing CPR on someone suffering a cardiac arrest can buy time for professional help to arrive and doubles the person’s chance of survival. To date, 2.6 million people have completed Heartstart and equipped themselves with the skills to save a life.
For more information about Heartstart visit www.bhf.org.uk/heartstart
About the British Heart Foundation
Coronary heart disease is the UK’s single biggest killer. For over 50 years we’ve pioneered research that’s transformed the lives of people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Our work has been central to the discoveries of vital treatments that are changing the fight against heart disease. But so many people still need our help. From babies born with life-threatening heart problems to the many Mums, Dads and Grandparents who survive a heart attack and endure the daily battles of heart failure. Every pound raised, minute of your time and donation to our shops will help make a difference to people’s lives.
For more information, visit bhf.org.uk
