Why you should bring a medical ID bracelet aboard

I started this post just as the coronavirus was making itself known. Now this post seems to have more pertinence.

Medical alert bracelets and necklaces have been around a long time. In the past, most were metal and worn for one critical issue such as diabetes, rare blood type and life threatening conditions.

Then we all got active. Outdoor sports of all types have attracted older participants. That’s not to say that younger (under 50) people don’t require sharing their pertinent medical information, but older sportsters – yes, I just made that word up – need to consider alerting those around them. Even if you’re not involved in a sport. Life is a sport, right?

My perspective is sailing/racing.

Ah, sweet youth. Not only did we never wear sunscreen, except zinc on our noses, but who talked about their medical conditions? Actually, it seemed like nobody had medical conditions back then. I’m talking when I was a kid in the 60s.

In the last 4 years I started racing on a big boat, a J130. At any given time we have 9 people on crew, including the skipper. I started to look at everyone, ranging from mid-30s to mid 70s, and wondered what their medical situations were. There must be a lot, I thought. So I made up a card for myself with emergency contacts, blood type and allergies (penicillin). I showed the skipper and said it was in my dry bag. I also made sure to tell each boat I was on that I had this card. Reactions were mixed. But I felt at least I stood a chance if something happened.

Then I realized that the card in the bag wouldn’t do much good. I happened upon the MYID silicone bracelet.

GetMYID personal bracelet was my choice. Under $30.00, there is a QR code on the inside of the bracelet that hospitals and EMTs can scan to immediately get all your medical information - including emergency contacts. The information you want available is entered on their website in your account. They also sell “sliders” that they will attach at time of purchase for issues that need to be immediately seen, like being allergic to penicillin. You can also order them afterwards. It’s waterproof and so light that I haven’t really taken it off since I got it.

They have several bracelet and style options - they even have one sized for babies. So the point of this is it’s not a bad idea if you are on a boat - or somewhere that might require people to know about you in an emergency - to get one of these. Take a look around on the web and find something. It could save your life.

Disclaimer: I have not received any product or monetary compensation for posting about this product.