I was on nights ( nurse) so sleeping in the day time and was woken by frantic banging on my front door. An 8 year old boy had been knocked over and was lying in the road - the blokes at the greasy spoon next door to me had seen it happen and knew I was a nurse. it was a cold frosty Saturday morning about 40 years’ ago.
The poor little lad wasn’t breathing and had no pulse so I did CPR and he came back ( breathing but unconscious ) within a few minutes.
I remember he was so small, still and pale. I could see his pocket money scattered in the road ( he had been crossing the road to buy sweets from the newsagent opposite.)
The whole thing felt dream-like. It seemed like only seconds had passed but it must have been several minutes because I looked up and the police were there and then the ambulance.
I suddenly became aware I was barefoot and wearing just pyjamas ( pale blue stripe flannel - funny what you remember). As soon as the ambulance took him away I started shivering and realised I’d scraped my knees on the tarmac.
a couple of weeks’ later I got a huge ( like 2foot wide!) bouquet from him/his family with a card saying ‘For saving my life.’ I still have it somewhere.
it was just lucky for him that a nurse was nearby and that he recovered fully in hospital from a nasty head injury.
sadly on another occasion several years later a dear old gent collapsed and died in the street and could not be revived. Such a shock for his poor wife who watched me try.
I think it’s great that nowadays so many of us can try to help in an emergency.