We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
A FORMER TIPPERARY senior hurling captain has said that compulsory CPR training should be a part of the PE curriculum in secondary schools.
The calls from Ger ‘Redser’ O’Grady come after he may have saved a man’s life by performing CPR on him in Thurles last Friday.
The man had gone into cardiac arrest at a petrol station in the town and O’Grady and his Thurles Sarsfields club colleague Gary Loughnane rushed to his aid.
O’Grady told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today that he had recently heard of an incident where a man had CPR performed on him in a gym, and was thinking of how he was trained in administering CPR but hoped he would never have to use his training.
“I was just saying in my own mind if it did ever come across I’d keep cool.
“And lo and behold a couple of days later, what happened? A fella drops down and has a heart attack in front of my eyes.
So I kept cool got out of the van ran over and started the CPR straight away.
O’Grady said he took turns with his clubmate performing the CPR until the ambulance arrived.
“It’s tough going, but look, but when his life is in your hands, you will stay going. We took turns and then the ambulance came,” he said.
What you are really doing is buying time for the ambulance to come, trying to get blood flow into the brain and into the heart.
He said he hoped that the man would recover but that he was still in hospital in a serious condition.
O’Grady said that should PE become a Leaving Cert subject, CPR training should be “top of the agenda”.
“Every student should have to learn CPR. There’s Tom hanging on for his life with a bit of luck. He was lucky we were in the right place, at the right time,” he said.
“About 10,000 people die in Ireland every year of cardiac arrest.
Out of that 10,000, 5,000 die outside of hospital.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Agree. We should all learn, maybe relearn on a regular basis
2 stories.1st one was approx. 30 years ago in London, a chap had fallen off his push bike and stopped breathing. Myself and another chap started doing CPR, I was doing mouth to mouth and he was doing compressions. we did this for about 20mins or so until a ambulance arrived and whisked him off to hospital. I remember 2 things. 1st was the taste in my mouth and I felt sick for and the 2nd thing was while we were doing this a group had watched us. When we had finished a lady came up to us and told us we were doing it all wrong, I did not say anything and just got back on my motorbike and went to work (afterwards thought it was bad form and she should have helped if needed). 2nd Story was my boy (12) and I went to a conference in Cork a few years ago about becoming a Pilot. All fun and sweets were given out. My boy took a hardboiled sweet but started choking. I pick him on the back a few times but no joy and was turning blue. People were looking at us and started moving away, I was about to give him a massive clot to the back/neck again when a lady stood up behind him and did the Heimlich maneuver and the sweet popped out (Thanks again whoever you are). So what I am trying to say here is if you know it or been trained to use it, please do, half the battle is training, the other half is having confidence to use it –
Completely agree. Did 2hrs basic training in local GAA club. Learnt a lot and forgot a lot. What stuck with me is mechanics of how chest compressions counting 1000, 2000 etc keep blood circulating to brain buying time until medics arrive (as per article), kiss of life not done and finally not be shy and get stuck in, dont stand back and expect others to. Haven’t had to use it but feel i could give it a lash if needs must.
Fair play redser, hero…. Let ya off with holding other players hurley
@paddy2205: haha….well spotted!
Fair play Redser.
On the hurling front, I always reckon he got a raw deal from Babs. If he was properly managed he has serious potential. But Babs just didn’t have the people skills to get the best out of him.
My dad knows redser he class
Good man Redser, legend!!
have your say