It’s not often you hear of a teenager having a cardiac arrest. It’s even rarer to hear of a teen who has had two.
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Grant Higgins doesn’t talk much about his near-death experiences. However he will if it encourages those around him to consider learning first aid skills. After all they saved his life – twice.
The former Illawarra resident is now a healthy 23-year-old. However when he was 14 years old, and again at 17, Mr Higgins suffered a cardiac arrest. On both occasions a bystander administered CPR until an ambulance arrived.
“I’m definitely here thanks to having first aid-qualified people next to me when it happened,” Mr Higgins said.
He was diagnosed with a heart condition he now lives with an internal defibrillator.
“I hear about people with my condition a lot more these days, it reminds me how lucky I was and how important first aid is.
“My message to people in regard to gaining a TAFE NSW first aid qualification is, while we might think of it as something we could use to save a stranger, there’s a good chance the person’s life you might save will be someone you love,” he said.
Saving lives was a major part of TAFE NSW Shellharbour first aid teacher Georgie McInerney’s career. Before she started teaching she was a paramedic. She also happened to be one of the people who gave CPR to Mr Higgins the first time he suffered a cardiac arrest.
“Each year in Australia about 15,000 people have a cardiac arrest out of hospital, but only between six and 13 per cent of these people will survive,” Ms McInerney said.
“In just one day during semester two we can have you trained enough to provide basic first aid, which could save a life.”
A TAFE NSW first aid course is a great way to gain a life-changing skill, to start a career in aged care, early childhood education, or to be in demand with the skills you need for any job you want.
It’s not too late to learn life-saving skills in semester two, visit tafensw.com.au or phone 131 601.