Guess what? I’m not exactly a go-to gal in an emergency.
So, here’s what happened. First, you have to understand that drafting people are a strange breed and they always have been. In the old days they were frustrated artists; these days they’re computer geeks. Our draftsman Bruce is no exception.
So, I’m walking down the hall from my office, heading for the reception area, when a strange noise draws my attention to Bruce who’s about ten feet away. He’s slumped over the side of his chair, bucking wildly, and making inhuman sounds. Swear to God, at first I thought it was a case of Bruce being Bruce.
Nonetheless, I decide the prudent course of action is to make sure. “Bruce!” I yell. “Are you okay?” After all, he’s diabetic, has already had a minor stroke, and eats like I imagine John Candy did. In other words, he’s not the poster child for healthy living.
No response. More bucking. More gasping.
Do I run into his office? No, I do not. I run for the next available human being. “Rolly, something’s wrong with Bruce. Go check it out.”
Then I run in the opposite direction and tell Kari to dial 911.
By the time I return to Bruce’s office, two guys have managed to move him from the chair to the floor. Jovanna (an ex-lifeguard who’s been taking disaster preparedness courses) is assessing the situation.
His lips are blue, his tongue is bleeding, and his eyes are open but they’re not tracking.
Where are the paramedics??? Where’s the fire department???
My brother goes outside and hears sirens, but they keep passing by. Eventually, the paramedics arrive but sirens continue to wail as the firemen apparently search for us.
By the time the paramedics reach Bruce, his breathing has steadied and he’s able to give one-word answers to their queries. After rigging up an IV and checking vitals, they load him on a gurney and cart him off to the hospital.
The doctors still can’t say what happened. They haven’t ruled out heart attack, stroke or seizure. When I spoke to Bruce yesterday, he apologized for missing work but figured he’d be back after the holiday. That’s why you gotta love the guy—he may be odd and annoying, but he’s also a real team player.
Shame on me for running from him, not to him.
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4 comments:
Don't sell yourself short. As important as it was to be with him, getting help may have been far more important. You contributed to his survival, even if it wasn't the first line of defense. And you were able to get those would could contribute to the scene. To me, it sounds like you did pretty good.
I agree with John. Unless you knew without thinking what to do to help a person having a seizure, which he obviously was, there was nothing you could do to help him. Yelling for someone else to go be with him and then immediately calling for someone to call 911 was the best course of action.
As it turns out, Rolly even yelled for someone else to come...and because of all your actions as a team, Bruce was able to tell you himself that he'll be back at work on Tuesday...
Now...Bruce is the one I am wondering about...geez...you'd think the guy would be trying to get a week's vacation outta ya!
I'm agreeing with the folks above. Sometimes team work gets the job done where one person trying to be the hero just doesn't cut it.
You done good, girlfriend! :-)
It's quite cool I tried Radio code king when I needed a Chrysler radio code. In just one try, the code works on my radio.
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