Kevin Paulson, the founder and CEO of HuntingLife.com, loves hunting and the outdoors. And through his passion and lifestyle, he came to understand the importance of being prepared for unforeseen circumstances. On the other hand, his wife, Marjorie, wasn't quite as sold on the importance of preparedness. One day, they had a discussion about adding a first aid kit to Marjorie's car, and she didn't see the need for one since she'd never needed one in the past. Kevin, however, was adamant about the addition. Ultimately, he convinced his wife to let him put a MyFAK Mini Pro in her car. And about 45 days later, he was grateful for his foresight!

One lovely day, Kevin was planting a couple of aspen trees in his backyard, and since Nebraska is prone to high winds, he needed to stake them down to keep all his hard work from being blown away. He didn't have anything on hand to pound the stakes in, so he tried using a brick. Unfortunately, the brick broke after only a couple of strokes. That's when Kevin remembered that he had some axes and hatchets sitting in his office waiting to be reviewed. They should hold up a lot better than the brick did!

After a quick trip to his office, he returned to his yard with a nice, lightweight ax and was ready to get back to work. With the back of the ax, he resumed pounding the stake in. That's when things went horribly wrong. 

Kevin isn't exactly sure how it happened, but one moment he was merrily hammering away at the stake, and the next, the ax blade was biting deep into his shin. The laceration was around three inches in length and cut all the way down to the bone. He was lucky he hadn't nicked an artery, especially since the Tibial Artery was less than an inch away, but it was still an ugly injury. When he realized what had happened, he shouted for Marjorie to grab the first aid kit. Without hesitation, she sprinted to her car, pulled out the kit, and raced back to her husband in under sixty seconds.

When she returned, she helped lay him down and open the kit so they could get to work. First, they used ZZIPS to hold the wound shut followed by wrapping QuikClot firmly around them. To finish it off, they put an Emergency Pressure Bandage over everything and called it good. When they finished, no blood was escaping from the dressings, so Kevin hobbled to the car and went to the emergency room to get patched up.

The hospital staff were impressed with how he'd handled the situation. Thankfully, the injury didn't need more than a few staples and sent him on his way not long later. Kevin says that he's grateful that he was both incredibly lucky and prepared for an emergency like this. After this situation, he and Marjorie both agree that they need to keep first aid kits in their cars and home at all times. 

Kevin is adamant that everybody needs a quality first aid kit like My Medic's nearby. He also fervently believes everyone should customize their kit to fit their needs. For example, add some extra allergy supplies if you're prone to allergic reactions. You never know how quickly a perfect afternoon can turn into a nightmare. Be prepared!

Want more? You can read Kevin's full story here!

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