Life is Precious

Yesterday, my dad and I were at my specialist appointment in Topeka. As we entered the waiting room after my appointment, we saw that a man had fallen in front of the reception desk. I had to make a follow-up appointment, so the man and I were maybe two feet apart. He was probably in his late 60s with blue eyes. His face was red.

The nurses were asking him how he ended up on the floor and he wasn't sure. He came in to see his doctor for shortness of breath. They asked him questions about the day of the week, date, and who was president. He answered all correctly, but in a breathless kind of way. Next thing I know, they say he's about to throw up, so they shifted him to his side. During that time, he stopped breathing. They called for an ambulance, got an AED (to restart his heart), and they called "code blue" over the loud speaker. I remember how his buttons popped off his shirt as they ripped it open to begin chest compressions.

Though I wasn't needed to help the man, I'm glad that I completed first aid and CPR training through the American Heart Association. The experience with that man has made it hard for me sleep or think of anything else. I've been praying for him, his family, the nurses, and doctors. I don't know if he made it and that part is hard. I know that by the time we left, it'd been several minutes since he'd stopped breathing and they hadn't been able to bring him back to life.

Life is precious. Live it; embrace it. For everyone, I would recommend first aid and CPR training. I hope I'll never have to use the training, but am thankful that I have it.