” First aid saved my life”
Mr Sellathambi Theiventhiran farms and works as a laborer in the paddy fields. He also collects natural honey in the forest around the village. The honey sale brings in seasonal income. The Vakarai honey is believed to be the best and original natural honey in Sri Lanka.
In 2018 it was a black day for Theiventhiran. He would never expect such an incident would happen to him. The incident almost pushed him to the edge of life and death. While Theiventhiran was collecting honey, an unexpected arrow hit him and he was seriously injured. He realized that he was losing a lot of blood, He could not stop the bleeding and became unconscious .
His son Theiventhiran Sivakanthan,22 fortunately was there with Theiventhiran. The son also brought his mobile phone. He called Mr Thangavel Thineskanth who is known as Padayappa immediately..
Padayappa is the most popular young personality in Kattumurivu village. He is a social worker, First Aider and also the Chairman of the Kattumurivu Red Cross unit. Once Padayappa was informed about the accident, he immediately went to the scene and gave first aid. He stopped and controlled the bleeding. Theiventhiran was transported to the Vakarai hospital on a motorbike given to Padayappa by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society to be used for humanitarian services. Sellathambi Theiventhiran was admitted to the hospital in three hours after his accident.
Doctors and medical staff appreciated Padayappa’s effort for saving Mr Sellathambi Theiventhiran’s life. Without Padayappa’s timely first aid, Theiventhiran would not have survived. It took about two months before Mr Sellathambi Theiventhiran returned to normal life. Theiventhiran is always thankful to Padayappa and to the Red Cross first aid volunteers for saving his life.
First aid given by humanitarian volunteers helps the most vulnerable communities and save lives. There are hundreds of people in Batticaloa district, thousands and millions in the world like Theiventhiran who witness and benefit from Red Cross first aid services.
V.premakumar, BEO-SLRCS, Batticaloa Branch.
