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From scraped knees to heart attacks - I’ve seen it all


Maggie Nelson, a homeowner from Barmulloch, tells us about her experiences during 38 years of volunteering with the British Red Cross


W


HEN my kids were young I had a friend in the British Red


Cross. I went along to a first aid class and I was hooked. During my time I’ve dealt with everything from scraped knees to heart attacks. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed helping people.


I get a lot of satisfaction, a lot


of fun and companionship. I’ve been a first aid volunteer


at football matches and at concerts by Paul McCartney and Rod Stewart and others. Sometimes people get over


excited at events and can suffer serious incidents such as a heart attack. It‘s great being able to save a


life. The adrenaline surges and you feel 100 feet tall. Most of our work involves


treating minor injuries but many of us are trained to carry out CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation) until paramedics or a doctor arrives. It’s not always possible to save a life and it can be upsetting. But there are moments that


give you a laugh. One time I was at Celtic Park and a senior policeman had a cup of tea in one hand a pie in the other. He said he had sore hands, so I bandaged up


The group leader used a


digger that was on site to scoop the earth away and rescue the other two. We were able to clear their


airways and get them to hospital.


About 25 years later I was at Glasgow Green and a man in his 30s approached me. He remembered me and told me he was one of the boys we saved.


That makes it all worthwhile. i


For more information about the Red Cross,


call 891 4000 or visit www.redcross.org.uk


each hand - while he was still holding the pie and the cup of tea! It was a good laugh. It helps to have a bit of fun. Often people you help remember it.


In the early 1970s my son


became trapped in a coal bing with two other boys. My boy managed to escape and raise the alarm.


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