Every year my car goes off for it's annual service and MOT. It is a legal requirement. My car is checked for any defects. These are put right, and keeps me and my passengers safe.

Sometimes I think oh this is such an unecessary expense. The cost of new tyres, another king pin snapped, light bulb is waning...all costs but all hidden dangers. Big noticeable problems and small hidden ones.

But should I really put a price on my life, and those who are in the car with me, or even others out on the roads and paths?

So why don't we do the same to our bodies? Why do we always wait to be ill before we go to the Doctors?  Why wait until it's too late? Our body alerts us to things starting to go wrong but we often ignore them as we don't want the hassle of going to the Doctors, or losing pay from taking time off work. Sometimes the niggle goes away and we forget, or we think we are fixed.
Hindsight is a magical quality, but it can't always save a life.

Eight years ago I lost 7 stone. I actually went to the Doctors for an MOT. I was at my fittest and healthiest so why did I go?
I wanted to have a check up to make sure I hadn't done any damage to myself losing the weight. I had done that slowly through sensible eating and exercise. I just felt it was something I should do. Lucky for me I did, or I may not be here now.

I, (the Rambling Duck), was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholestral. I was prescribed medication for both. I am now monitored to ensure that both the cholestral stays low and that my blood pressure doesn't spiral up. I have a herditary condition. I will always be on the tablets, despite my continued sensible eating and exercising, and trust me, I do more of that than ever before! High Blood Pressure is a silent killer.

By 45 of years of age both my Mother, Uncle and Grandfather had had their first heart attack, and thrombosis clots. By 50 my Mother had a stroke and Angina. By 55 my Uncle had lost his eye sight to high blood pressure problems. My Grand father had a number of heart operations. During both of my pregnancies I had pre-clampsia, yet after the children were born I was never monitored for any thing else related, or cause questioned. With my family history that surely suggests I am in for a similar roller coaster ride. I reflect on that in hind sight. But luckily I have already been to the Doctors. I have already had the hereditary condition I am predisposed to checked, comfirmed and medicated for. I have better chances and odds than my Mother, Uncle and Grandfather.

There are a few groups that actively encourage you to go to the Doctors for check ups. Do ask about any family medical history. This isn't a drama stop. Just a sensible precaution. Like the car, if you know it's previous history you are listening out for clues of breakdown. Like an MOT, a problem can be detected before it becomes a disaster.  Arrogance and/or ignorance is never a good indicator that you will always be well. You may be fit and go to the gym regularly, or run daily, or walk miles. You may have a sensible diet, drink in moderation and not smoke. But that doesn't exclude you from a variety of predisposed conditions or underlaying medical conditions.

Be wise, get wise and wise up!

Are you at risk? Why wait to find out?

Call your Doctor now.

Heart disease can be detected and monitored early. Read about some of the great research work at the British Heart  Foundation. In particular detecting and predicting early heart attacks. Without causing distress please also read and see the video about a heart attack.

It's not a curse of the older generation either. Every week in the UK at least 12 young people die suddenly from undiagnosed heart conditions. CRY was founded in 1995 to raise awareness of conditions that can lead to Young Sudden Cardiac Death (YSCD); Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS); SADS

CRY's Vision 2012:   to work with cardiologists and family doctors to promote and protect the cardiac health of our young by establishing good practice and screening facilities devoted to significantly reduce the frequency of young sudden cardiac death throughout the UK.

I will be writing more about CRY and the BHF initiatives to promote early detection of heart disease, keeping our hearts healthy and getting the petition signed for ELS in schools.

What is Emergency Life Support?

Emergency Life Support (ELS) is the set of actions needed to keep someone alive until professional help
arrives. It includes performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), dealing with choking, serious bleeding
and helping someone who may be having a heart attack.

What are we calling for?

• In England we are calling for ELS, including vital CPR, to be a mandatory part of the National Curriculum.
• In Wales we want to see ELS taught in every school as part of the National Curriculum.
• In Scotland we want to see ELS taught in every school as part of the Curriculum for Excellence.
• In Northern Ireland we want to see further investment aimed at raising awareness of, and access to, ELS skills in schools, workplaces and communities.
  

ELS is simple, and easy to teach and learn. It can be performed without any special medical knowledge. It
takes as little as two hours to teach, just 0.2% of a school year. In just two hours of their school life,
children can learn the skills to save a life.

Children of 10 years and above can learn the full range of ELS including vital CPR, and younger children are
also able to learn many of the skills. Teachers at primary school should be encouraged to teach their children
many of the skills including dialling 999, calling for help and checking for danger.

Why is ELS so important?
Evidence shows that around two thirds of cardiac arrests that occur outside of hospital occur in the home, and
that nearly half that occur in public are witnessed by bystanders. With each minute that passes in cardiac
arrest before defibrillation, chances of survival are reduced by about 10%. Immediate CPR in a shockable out
of hospital cardiac arrest can improve the chances of survival by up to a factor of three.

Public support for teaching ELS
In April 2011, we commissioned research to assess the views of children, parents and teachers on the idea of
teaching ELS to all secondary school pupils. The results showed strong public support.
OnePoll surveyed 2,072 parents across the UK, and found that 1,449 (70 per cent) thought that children
should be taught ELS at school. The support was higher still among children. 1,000 children in the UK aged
11-15 were asked whether thought they should be taught how to save someone‟s life in an emergency as part
of their lessons at school, and 778 (78 per cent) believed that they should.  Of the 500 teachers in the UK
survey, 428 (86 per cent) thought that ELS, including CPR, should be part of the curriculum in schools – only
25 (5 per cent) disagreed.

ELS isn’t just about stats and numbers. It really makes a difference.
Ask Keith Aston. At 69, he suffered a cardiac arrest whilst out riding his bicycle, and was kept alive in
the street by a passerby, Joanna Michaelides.

Joanna said of her experience “I am ordinary. I am not one of the many admirable
people who dedicate their lives to saving others. I just happened to learn CPR.
When Keith had his cardiac arrest, every person at that scene was desperate to
help him. I was just lucky that I could.
“People in the most part have the will to help and not harm. We want as many people as we can to learn
ELS. You never know – it could be the difference between life and death.”

How would this work in practice?
A number of organisations already successfully provide training and support for teachers so they can deliver ELS.

The BHF, for example, spends around £800k per annum on resources for teaching ELS, including
manikins, schools pack contents, and teacher supply cover. Community Resuscitation Development Officers
(CRDOs), established by the BHF, are developing community resuscitation programmes across their regions
within Ambulance Trusts, and deliver ELS training and support to teachers as part of the wider ambulance
service response.

Our vision is for every child to leave school knowing how to save a life
We are already behind many of our European neighbours – France, Denmark and Norway
all have lifesaving skills such as CPR as a mandatory part of their school curricula. They
have been using strategies ranging from self-learning with DVDs and manikins to structured
teaching – all as part of the curriculum.  Further afield, a recent statement on science by the
American Heart Association concludes that CPR training should be required for graduation
from secondary school.

By teaching children ELS at school, we can create a new generation of lifesavers.
Children learn and retain new skills more easily than adults and are also often present at emergencies.
We all learnt skills as children – how to ride a bike, playing a musical instrument, how to speak a foreign
language. Why not add „How to save a life‟ to that set of skills?

By teaching all children life-saving skills we can ensure that every child leaves school knowing how to save a life.

Sign the petition and find out how you can email your local politician about the campaign at bhf.org.uk/ELS

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