My life partner collapsed in our home this January. The only thing that helped me was some knowledge and skill I'd picked up thanks to this list and related reading.

I knew to get her into a recovery position, to check her breathing and pulse, then to call 911. I knew what to expect when I called, and knowing beforehand helped keep me calm.

I also knew where the nearest hospital was, though the EMTs also knew this.

Thankfully, the fire station from which the ambulance was dispached is five minutes from us, and we are five minutes from the hospital to which she was taken.

I'm just posting this to share with you my new and profound respect for knowledge and skills. Too often I get fascinated by survival gear, and neglect survival skills.

Not one piece of my gear came into play that day. All I had were the pitifully few bits of knowledge and skill I'd picked up, almost as an afterthought.

Bear

EDIT: I forgot to include the happy outcome. After a month in ICU and another month at home, she's now completely recovered. It was a rare blood disease of unknown origin.

First... I hope she is doing well.
Second... I hope you are doing well.
Third... Everything you wrote is so very true. I couldn't agree more.

/edit
I'd like to add. The gear in the kit is not as important as the gears in the head.

"It's not the machine, so much as the man in it."- Freiherr Manfred Von Richtofen

First, I am glad she is doing well.

Second, don't be hard on yourself. We all get caught up in the gear sometimes. But you remembered enough to stay calm and do the right things in the right order. If the same ever happens to me, I only hope I can do as well as you did.

Like everyone I am glad to hear she's on the mend. My point is its amazing what your brain can dredge up from the past when presented by a crisis.
All the best

Johno