The quick-thinking of Warrnambool parents Lucy and Pat Mahony saved their 18-month-old son Ollie from serious scars for life after he pulled a cup of coffee onto himself.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mrs Mahony was in the shower when Ollie was scalded by the boiling water but thanks to the child and infant first aid course she and her husband completed in 2019 with Rythm First Aid, she was able to act quickly and efficiently to help their son
"For about the first 30 seconds, me and my husband were like 'what do we do?'," she said. "And then the training kicked in. I was in the shower and turned it cold and got him in with me.
"Before the training, I knew to put burns under some kind of water, but the training taught me to do it for 20 minutes and to make sure it's not freezing water.
"The paramedics and doctors praised our work. If we hadn't done it, he would've been flown to Melbourne straight away."
Ollie stayed in a Warrnambool hospital over night and was then referred to the Royal Children's Hospital for two check-up appointments.
Mrs Mahony described the incident as the "scariest" and "saddest" moments of her life but was thankful for her first aid knowledge.
"The burns were all down his belly and onto his leg," she said.
"Now on his stomach we can't see a mark and on his leg where the burn was a bit deeper there's still a bit of red. We just have to use sorbolene three times a day."
Ollie is the Mahony's youngest son and Mrs Mahony said when their oldest Henry, 4, was born, child and infant first aid training wasn't a course they knew about.
"We didn't do it with our first," she said. "Our friend said they were going to one and would we like to join.
"We did all the baby classes before Henry was born but they didn't really talk about what to do in an emergency. Children's first aid is different to adults.
"Now I think it's the most important skills to have as a parent.
"I 100 per cent recommend the Rhythm First Aid course - you're never going to regret knowing how to save a child's life."
Rhythm First Aid is hosting two public first aid courses in Warrnambool on April 22 and 23 with details and bookings via rhythmfirstaid.com.au/
MORE READS:
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark https://www.standard.net.au/
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters.
- Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
- Tap here to open our Google News page.
- Join our Courts and Crime Facebook group and our dedicated Sport Facebook group.
- If you have subscribed, join our subscriber-only Facebook group.
- Subscribe.
Listen to the latest episode of our weekly podcast The Booletin and Beyond:
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.