I'm sure those of you who visit the site have seen my Attitudes Are Contagious rant. This is a follow up.
Today Ren wasn't working, so she was going to finish up our Christmas shopping. She went to the mall. Walked in. Went down the escalator.
As she's going down to the lower floor, she noticed a man leaving the Hallmark store, leaning over and clutching a rail. A woman slowly walked out after him. The woman put her hand on his shoulder. He turned toward her, face ashen gray, then fell over unconscious.
Ren rushes over. She assesses that he's unconscious, has a pulse, but is breathing dangerously slow and isn't getting enough oxygen. She stars doing "rescue breathing" (the breathing part of CPR, but without the chest compressions) to ensure he gets enough oxygen and doesn't die.
"Ma'am, does your husband have any health conditions?" Ren asks (for those who don't know, Ren's a registered nurse and a certified EMT).
"Umm... I was just in there shopping, and this guy complained of chest pains, and... umm... umm... umm..."
"Okay. Has anyone called 911?"
"Uhh... I don't think so. Should we do that?"
"Yes. Now would be a good time to call 911," Ren says.
The lady left (back into the store, I think...?) calling 911. Ren continued breathing for the guy and continued monitoring his pulse. The EMT's arrived about ten minutes later. Ren explained her credentials and all but demanded a heart monitor (she's a telemetry nurse). Fortunately, they were kind enough to comply though not obligated to do so. The guy's heart stats were stable, though he still apparently wasn't getting sufficient oxygen. They took him off to the hospital.
Here's the great part -- in the ten minutes it took for the EMT's to arrive, not a single person offered to help. And keep in mind, this is a very busy mall (Fair Oaks, for those in the D.C. area).
No, instead, they either walked past or stood way off to the side pointing. Some even took pictures.
People... If you've got time to hover and take pictures like this is some performance or media event,
you've got time to offer to help. She could have used someone to monitor his pulse while she was doing the rescue breathing. Or someone could have at least asked if anyone had called 911. But no, there was nothing.
I feel a bit selfish bragging about my own wife, but there's no question that she deserves it (even though she'll kick my butt later on for posting this on the site). She's a wonderful person, she's an awesome nurse, she didn't think twice about helping this guy, and there's no doubt she could have handled the entire situation even with no help.
But come on... NOBODY offered to help?
So... remember my challenges from my earlier post? If not, go back and read it. I'd like to add these additional challenges:
- In 2009, contact your local Red Cross and take a CPR class. Learn CPR or renew your card.
- If you come across someone doing CPR, ask if you can help. Even if you don't know what to do, if they're certified, they can probably tell you. Worst-case scenario, they can have you go direct EMTs to the location, ask around for other certified people, etc.
- When in doubt, call 911. Chances are, you are not a doctor. You're not qualified to determine what is a medical emergency and what isn't. Report it anyway, and let the experts figure it out. Much better to call when it's not needed than to NOT call when it IS
Come on. This is YOUR world. YOUR community. Take care of it.
