MEXICO – A Rumford Hospital nurse gave family members, relatives, friends and a baby sitter a unique present on Christmas – a gift that keeps on giving.

Beth Ring of Mexico wanted to do something different this year so she contacted Med-Care Ambulance and asked if they would come to her house and train her children and their spouses in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

At first, that took Laurieann Milligan, Med-Care’s community outreach coordinator, by surprise. The nonprofit business’ 2007 goal is to devote more attention to the American Heart Association’s new Family and Friends CPR Anytime program, which Med-Care staff has sporadically taught at businesses and in meeting halls since it became available this summer.

“This is the first time we will have done this outside of a public forum,” Milligan said.

“We’ve never gone to a person’s home before, but there’s no reason why we can’t go. We’re all pretty excited about it,” she added.

Since Ring’s call, the present snowballed to include 10 people from ages 25 to 75. It will be held Thursday, Jan. 11, at her son’s home on Common Road in Dixfield.

“When I called to find out about the program, I decided to give it to all those who care for my grandchildren, but, then, I realized it could save a lot of people,” Ring said Friday inside Med-Care’s Main Street station in Mexico.

Milligan said the personal learning program, which costs $25 a person with a minimum requirement of six people for the class, teaches adult, children and infant CPR basic concepts at the layperson level.

“The concept behind it is that CPR is not just for health-care professionals anymore,” she said.

Rather than surprise family members with an unusual gift, Ring said she broached the idea with them.

“They were very excited. It didn’t take much convincing, especially with my daughter and daughter-in-law, where they have small children. I’ve been wanting to do a CPR course for over a year now, so your program happened at the right time for us,” Ring told Milligan.

She also gave the present to her 75-year-old father and his 71-year-old wife, who saved his life one time when he was choking by performing the Heimlich Maneuver.

The program comes in a box, the contents of which contain a mini Anne CPR learning manikin, a mini Anne spare lung, CPR skills practice DVD, and more.

Ring said she wrapped each box with a ribbon and placed them under the Christmas tree.

“The program is so reasonably priced. Like the TV commercial, CPR course, $25; saving the life of a person, priceless,” she added.