turbojimmy
Supporting Member
- Joined
- May 26, 2001
Last Tuesday, 7/1, my brother and I made the trip to MA. to visit my grandmother. She had suffered a heart attack and we were told that she had very little time. We arrived at the hospital to find her resting, so rather than wake her up we went to my grandparents' house to meet up with my mom who had previously traveled out there.
After spending about 15 minutes there, the phone rang. My mom answered. She looked confused, then upset, and ran from the house crying. Out in the front yard, she was totally incoherent so I took the phone from her and asked who was speaking. It was a woman from my father's office who told me my dad 'fell'. When pressed for more information, she turned the phone to another person. I didn't recognize either of their names but I would learn later that they are friends of my dad's - 'lunch buddies', they said.
Dad had suffered cardiac arrest and was dead for what they estimated to be 2 minutes before being revived. He fell to the floor in his cubicle and hit his face on the corner of the desk. It was the last thing we'd ever expect since dad was an exercise fanatic and is in better physical shape than either of his sons. (myself and DarkRed87T). I made the 3-hour trip home with my mom with this information. It was a quiet ride.
We went straight to the hospital where they had already started cooling dad into a hypothremic coma to protect any brain function he might have remaining. At that point no one knew how long he did not have blood to his brain, but his co-workers assured me that their 'First Responders' got to him within seconds, not minutes, and had a pulse before paramedics arrived.
The 'First Responders' are people at the office who volunteer their time and are trained in providing emergency medical care. I knew they existed, we have them in our building, but never gave them any thought because let's face it - how often do we really need them? I've worked in an office environment for 17 years and never saw the need for one.
The two people that worked on my dad were ordinary office workers at first glance. They heard my dad fall and immediately began CPR. Someone fetched the defibrillator and they used it to restart his heart. Not only did they save his life, but they did it so quickly that dad appears to have 100% of his neurological functions. He woke up this morning after being unconscious for 5 days. When we got to the hospital he greeted us like he had just woke up from a night's sleep.
Obviously the teams of physicians and nurses had a lot to do with his recovery thus far, but the care he received in the seconds following the event is the reason he is sitting there talking to us today.
Dad has a long road to full recovery, but we are eternally grateful to these 'first responders'. I have no idea what an appropriate 'thank you' is for these people. Anything you could give them would seem to be trivial.
Just thought I'd share...it's good therapy for me to share the story. It's been a rough week.
Jim
EDIT: Grandma is still doing okay, too.
After spending about 15 minutes there, the phone rang. My mom answered. She looked confused, then upset, and ran from the house crying. Out in the front yard, she was totally incoherent so I took the phone from her and asked who was speaking. It was a woman from my father's office who told me my dad 'fell'. When pressed for more information, she turned the phone to another person. I didn't recognize either of their names but I would learn later that they are friends of my dad's - 'lunch buddies', they said.
Dad had suffered cardiac arrest and was dead for what they estimated to be 2 minutes before being revived. He fell to the floor in his cubicle and hit his face on the corner of the desk. It was the last thing we'd ever expect since dad was an exercise fanatic and is in better physical shape than either of his sons. (myself and DarkRed87T). I made the 3-hour trip home with my mom with this information. It was a quiet ride.
We went straight to the hospital where they had already started cooling dad into a hypothremic coma to protect any brain function he might have remaining. At that point no one knew how long he did not have blood to his brain, but his co-workers assured me that their 'First Responders' got to him within seconds, not minutes, and had a pulse before paramedics arrived.
The 'First Responders' are people at the office who volunteer their time and are trained in providing emergency medical care. I knew they existed, we have them in our building, but never gave them any thought because let's face it - how often do we really need them? I've worked in an office environment for 17 years and never saw the need for one.
The two people that worked on my dad were ordinary office workers at first glance. They heard my dad fall and immediately began CPR. Someone fetched the defibrillator and they used it to restart his heart. Not only did they save his life, but they did it so quickly that dad appears to have 100% of his neurological functions. He woke up this morning after being unconscious for 5 days. When we got to the hospital he greeted us like he had just woke up from a night's sleep.
Obviously the teams of physicians and nurses had a lot to do with his recovery thus far, but the care he received in the seconds following the event is the reason he is sitting there talking to us today.
Dad has a long road to full recovery, but we are eternally grateful to these 'first responders'. I have no idea what an appropriate 'thank you' is for these people. Anything you could give them would seem to be trivial.
Just thought I'd share...it's good therapy for me to share the story. It's been a rough week.
Jim
EDIT: Grandma is still doing okay, too.
