When Aucklander Canute D’Souza saw a cyclist suddenly collapse on the road ahead of him, he didn’t hesitate.
“I hopped out of the car in the middle of the road and was able to resuscitate him, and then hand him over to ambulance officers when they arrived, says Canute.
While more used to taking a ‘back seat’ in patient care, Canute is nevertheless no stranger to emergencies.
He has done many shifts in Auckland City Hospital as a St John Friends of the Emergency Department volunteer.
When fitting these around his shift rosters with Air New Zealand became a bit too much, Canute stepped back and now devotes his ‘spare time’ to arranging Friends of the Emergency Department volunteer rosters.
The St John Friends of the Emergency Department (FEDS) volunteers provide comfort and support to patients and their families in hospital emergency departments. In times of distress, people need more than treatment; they also need information and support. That's where St John Friends of the Emergency Department make such a difference.
“My training with St John meant that I was able to help. I was really pleased that I was prepared. The cyclist was too!”
The cyclist made a full recovery.
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