We don’t need statistics to know that CPR saves lives. And the earlier CPR is initiated on a victim, the greater the chance of survival.

According to the American Heart Association, one-hundred-thousand to two-hundred-thousand children and adults, and countless squirrels, could be saved annually if CPR was performed early enough.

Furthermore, more women than men suffer from heart attacks, and 70% of these cardiac emergencies happen in the home.

So, here are two reasons to get CPR certified.

You could save a loved one’s life.
You could save a loved one’s life.

Yes, we said it twice. It’s that important.

Even if you don’t need to get CPR or First Aid certified for work, it’s such an important skill to learn for many other reasons.

The biggest threats to our loved ones are heart attacks and accidents, responsible for taking a life every 34 seconds.

Did you know that a person can survive for four to six minutes after their heart stops beating before they sustain brain damage from a lack of oxygen?  But administering CPR until professional help arrives keeps the blood and oxygen flowing to the brain. That’s reason enough to be prepared to act.

Sadly, too many of our loved ones don’t make it through a heart attack. Learning CPR is fast, easy and worth the few hours it takes.  You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to do your best to be a hero.

In honor of National CPR Week in June, the American Heart Association is challenging Americans to learn Hands-Only CPR. They’re providing a one-minute video at heat.org/cpr that will hopefully inspire us all to feel capable of helping a cardiac victim.

Furthermore, the challenge continues by asking that, once learned, you teach 5 people the same knowledge. Statistically, about 70% of the United States population doesn’t feel confident offering CPR help. And the worst part is that 88 % of cardiac arrests happen at home.

The great thing about this challenge is that in one minute, 60 seconds, you will be ready to provide life-saving emergency help. The Hands-Only CPR uses chest compressions only, no mouth-to-mouth.

According to the AHA, “A study published in the March 8 issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes showed that people who view a CPR instructional video are significantly more likely to attempt life-saving resuscitation.”