Sarah is Mum to two gorgeous boys: Christopher, aged 19, and Jeremy, aged 18.
"It was having children which made me realise how little information is out there, on the practical medical side of caring for a family. As a former ambulance paramedic and first aid instructor, and with a partner who is also a paramedic, we thought we had the medical side of having children covered. Certainly, we knew how to do CPR, we knew exactly what to do if our baby choked, and we knew how to handle all the "big" things like burns, severe bleeding, allergic reactions, etc. But when our one-week-old baby came down with a cold, we were painfully short on ideas as to how best to ease his symptoms and alleviate his discomfort. And talking to other parents, I realised just how many things scare parents, from fevers to tummy upsets to bumps on the head.
How do you know when to take your baby or toddler to the doctor? When do you phone an ambulance?
It's one great big mystery to new parents, and the cause of considerable stress and anxiety.
And so, in consultation with numerous friends, family, medics, and other parents, I put together "First Aid for Littlies", a course specifically designed for parents, to answer those very many questions and to debunk some of those medical myths. Naturally, having two young children has helped to keep the courses realistic!
Gradually the business has grown so that we now offer, throughout the greater Auckland area, a variety of other concise First Aid Courses, tailored to meet the needs of specific groups. And the supply of family-friendly First Aid Kits, as well as Workplace Kits, was a natural progression.
I revalidate annually with the NZ Resuscitation Council to ensure that I'm totally up-to-date with the latest information and techniques. I also regularly update my information on child car restraints, so that I'm up-to-date on providing general advice on the installation and use of child car restraints.
And of course outside of work times we are busy with family activities - badminton, cricket, sailing, dancing, art (the latter two talents are definitely the boys, not me!) music, gardening, creating culinary masterpieces (sometimes!) and enjoying wonderful family adventures like camping, hiking and exploring our beautiful country.
