Morteza Beigi, the Iranian Red Cross first aid volunteer, recovered a two-month-old baby back to life and became a hero.
“I am used to check vital signs of every corpse brought to the cemetery to be washed and prepared for burial. This time, when the body of a two-month-old baby was brought to me, I remembered my two little daughters whom I love very much. I checked the baby's breathing putting my head on his chest and listened. I found out he was still breathing. The baby was alive!”
The baby had been transferred to Abdanan city for the funeral.
“It was around afternoon when my phone rang and I was asked to wash a dead body of a small baby. I left home to the cemetery. The body of a baby was wrapped in a white and blue blanket. While his family was taking off his clothes, I suddenly looked at his chest. It seemed it was moving,” he continues.
Earlier on the day, the medical doctors had diagnosed the cause of death as Congenital insufficiency.
Before working at the cemetery, Morteza, 31, used to be a plaster worker. He is also studying law at university while he is working hard for his family.
“I had passed the Red Crescent first aid course in the provincial branch many years ago and knew first aid and CPR. The family of the baby was crying and I could not hear his breathing so I put my head on his chest. He was not dead.”
The family was told the baby was declared dead already in the morning.
“I remembered my two little beloved daughters as well as all the dead bodies brought here recently because of COVID-19. I felt with my blood and flesh how hard it is to lose our loved ones. I consider all human beings to be my loved ones.”
After finding out the baby was still alive, Morteza kept him warm with a blanket and started Cardiac massage together with CPR. He continued for ten minutes until the baby started to breathe properly again. Then he called the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to get further help.
This time the story had a happy ending but Morteza tells he has faced also the grim effects of COVID-19 while washing the bodies. He has seen what it does to the people, and since the spring, he has been infected by COVID-19 already twice. Despite that, he says he keeps his mind positive.
Every year Iranian Red Crescent Society organizes different trainings from first aid to urban relief and rescue. This year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the organization moved most of the trainings online.