Health briefs
By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer
Businesses get free CPR class
The American Heart Association of Hawaii will offer free CPR awareness training to downtown business people tomorrow. The 90-minute classes will begin at 8 a.m., 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. on the eighth floor of Bishop Square's Pacific Tower in HEI Conference Room No. 1.
The heart association is encouraging businesses to allow their workers to attend the classes during their work hours.
"This has become an annual event offered by the AHA as a way to thank the businesses that provide our organization outstanding support," said association executive director Reid Morrison.
He said the four links in the "chain of survival" are CPR, recognizing the warning signs of a heart attack or cardiac arrest and immediately calling 911, quick defibrillation by trained lay people or emergency responders and prompt advanced cardiovascular medical care provided by paramedics and emergency room physicians.
To register for training at the free event tomorrow, call the AHA at 538-7021, Ext. 34. Registration is highly recommended because class sizes are limited.
The heart association will also offer a free mini-health fair tomorrow at Tamarind Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in which blood-pressure screening, stroke risk assessment, body fat analysis and educational literature will be available.
Pennies to help cancer patients
Students at 70 public and private schools have signed up to collect pennies and other spare change to help local patients suffering from leukemia and lymphoma, event organizers said.
Last year, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society said the event raised $71,000.
MEA Neal, the society's campaign manager in Hawai'i, said the event is an educational program about leukemia and related cancers.
She said children learn they can't catch cancer by playing with someone with the disease and they won't lose their hair by being with someone who lost their hair during treatment. "They learn that they don't have to be afraid of cancer."
Neal said at the same time, the students do raise a lot of money. She said the effort, in its fourth year in Hawai'i, began with 19 schools and has continued to grow.
For information on research locally, call 534-1222. For national information, call (800) 955-4572 or visit www.leukemia-lymphoma.org.
Diabetes flight lands in Hawai'i
Diabetic pilot Douglas Cairns was in Hawai'i last week on his quest to raise diabetes awareness by flying around the world in a small plane.
Cairns, 39, began his journey Sept. 24 in Iowa and has traveled through Europe, Asia and Australia. The British native is flying a Beech Baron B58 light twin aircraft to encourage people with diabetes to not let the common disease "limit the scope of their dreams."
He said he has raised about $19,000 toward diabetes research so far.
He said meeting with diabetes officials around the globe has shown him the great differences in approach, from Britain, where all medications are paid for by the government, to Christmas Island, where he ended up flying in medication because quick-acting insulin was in short supply.
To learn more about Cairns' trip, check the Internet at www.diabetesworldflight.com.
