Launchpad 🚀 - Learning CPR

This past month our Launchpad participants were able to take a first aid/CPR class that was tailored just for them.  It was a wonderful learning experience; not only did they gain valuable, life saving skills, but it also taught them that people with disabilities can do many things they never dreamed they could do!

The class began with a reminder that in order to be effective in helping a person in need of aid, one must remain calm, and clearly assess the situation.  If you don't start with those steps your efforts may be not actually be beneficial.  Once everyone had grasped that concept, we moved on to the practical side of things.

We learned the indications for using the Heimlich maneuver first.  After that we practiced doing the Heimlich maneuver.  We recognized that while all of the participants could assist an infant, a person who is dependent on crutches or wheelchair cannot easily perform the maneuver on an adult. But it's still a skill worth learning -  you never know when you might use it!

Then we spent some time learning to perform CPR and the proper use of an AED.  Again, some techniques have to be modified for those with mobility issues, but it's easy enough to slip out of a wheelchair and down onto the floor.  Fortunately, CPR does not require the rescuer to be able to stand unaided.

After mastering the basics of CPR and the Heimlich maneuver, the teacher specifically emphasized the importance of prevention and situational awareness. A person performing a rescue must take care not to become a casualty themselves!

This class turned out to be much more meaningful and valuable than we had anticipated. Learning the skills that can save a life is a huge accomplishment (and also a big responsibility).  But even more than that we gained the recognition that disabled people are also very capable in responding to an emergency situation.  Both are invaluable lessons!

Mama's Little Helper

QX  has been in our care for the past 6 years.  She was born with Down syndrome and abandoned as a small infant.  When she was 4 years old, her orphanage asked if she might be able to join one of foster families.

QX has benefited greatly from being in a family.  

Like many children affected by Down syndrome, she is delayed in a number of areas.  But her foster parents have helped her to make so much progress – far more than if she had remained in an institutional setting.  

Although her speech is still somewhat unclear, she loves to talk and is a little chatterbox.  But what she loves more than anything is helping out.  Give her a table that needs wiping down, or a basin of dirty toys, or a floor that needs to be swept and it’s like she just won the lottery!  

Of course, this is not just a matter of chores getting done.   QX is gaining confidence, independence and valuable life skills while “helping” out at home.

QX demonstrates a great deal of care and compassion toward others.  We know this is because she has seen this modeled over and over – in her own foster family and her classroom.  Recently she was with her brother at a lesson on traditional Chinese medicine where the children were learning about treatment with moxibustion cups.  She noticed that the one of the cups started to slip, so she rushed over to help out and stabilize it.  The teachers were quite surprised by her attentiveness and sense of responsibility! 

We are grateful to all who support our work; you are making it possible for us to provide nurturing, family based care and educational and vocational opportunities to little ones like QX.  Thank you!