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Outreach Program Spotlight: Project ADAM

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MJS Adam Lemel

Every once in a while, we like to shine a spotlight on a member or members of the community who make it their mission to educate people about CPR and AEDs. Today, we’d like to share a national outreach called Project ADAM.

Project ADAM was started in memorial of a Michigan high school student (Adam Lemel) who died of sudden cardiac arrest during a junior varsity basketball game. Following other similar deaths in the state, Adam’s family, friends, and other supporters got together to start Project ADAM hoping to reduce the amount of sudden cardiac arrest-related deaths.

The goal of Project ADAM is to provide proper training for CPR as well as training and awareness of the importance of AEDs. To date, Project ADAM has been credited with saving 85 lives, including 28 in Wisconsin — about 40% of them youths.

Though we regret the origins of this outreach, we are happy to know of its widespread success. Though young Adam didn’t survive sudden cardiac arrest, there are many lives that have been saved because of the awareness that Project ADAM brought to CPR and AEDs.

Fifth Grader Saves Friend’s Life

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A fifth grader in Michigan performed the Heimlich maneuver on a friend, saving the boy’s life and earning an HVA Life Saving Award from a local EMS company.

The Heimlich is part of a First Aid, Life-Saving course, which should include CPR.

It’s never to soon to know how to recognize an emergency or threat, and how to act on it, as the Ann Arbor fifth grader can attest.

Choking is the third main cause of deaths at home.

Watch for these signs in infants; Weak cough or cry, Difficulty breathing, unable to make sounds, soft, or high-pitched sounds when inhaling, bluish skin color.

Most adults will grab their throats, but other signs include wheezing, unable to talk, blue skin or lips, passing out, and gagging.

Get your CPR and First Aid certification today.

CPR Flashmob!

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You’ve seen the videos on YouTube of pre-coordinated dance flash mobs that appear in crowded malls and outdoor shopping centers. But this weekend in Las Vegas, there was a CPR flash mob organized to raise awareness of how easy it is to perform CPR!

American Red Cross volunteers and local firefighters organized a CPR flash mob at the Fremont Street Experience to the rhythm of “Staying Alive.” While the famous Bee Gees song played in the background, volunteers and firefighters did chest compressions on mannequins to illustrate how to perform chest compressions.

One of the volunteers explained,”We’re all going to CPR and everybody’s going to be able to see just how easy it is to save a life.” The volunteers stuck around after the flash mob to teach passersby how to perform CPR.

Great job, volunteers! We think this is such an engaging and fun way to teach people about CPR!