Cindy Bell (centre) is thrilled to win a CPR course so she will be able to care for her sick daughter Grace and son Harry in an emergency situation.
By Callan Date
CINDY Bell was initially shocked when doctors told her that her 10-year-old daughter had a life-threatening heart condition.
But the Narre Warren North resident has been proactive in her efforts to make sure she can care for her daughter Grace if there was a life-or-death situation at home.
Grace was diagnosed with prolonged QT intervals in January after continued fainting forced medical specialists to conduct a range of tests to determine the problem.
The top two chambers of Grace’s heart take longer than normal to beat compared to the lower section.
“She is a brave little girl and has taken all this drama in her stride,” Ms Bell said.
“It was an awful time for the whole family when we first learnt about Grace’s condition and we were all really worried about her.”
The Hillsmeade Primary School grade four student travels to the Royal Children’s Hospital every two months for a full check-up to make sure her condition isn’t deteriorating.
“She is not in the ultra-high risk group at the moment and hopefully the situation stays the same as she gets older,” Ms Bell said.
She said she had taken a greater interest in first-aid matters since her daughter had become sick and was determined to learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
“I have been following the CPR articles in the paper and have been able to relate to the different stories about why people want to know CPR,” she said.
Ms Bell was thrilled to discover she had won a CPR course offered to News readers, which will be held at Lynex Health Care and Training Services in Narre Warren.
“I was relying on other people to be able to help Grace if a situation was to arise, but now I will be confident in performing CPR if something happens,” she said.
Ms Bell said several of Grace’s teachers had also undergone CPR and first-aid training after becoming aware of their student’s condition.
“Everyone at Grace’s school has been amazing since she was diagnosed with the condition and it is very comforting to know that she is in good hands,” Ms Bell said.
