Why we all should take a moment...
...to look around and notice the smell of the leaves, the way your loved one looks at you, and to take a moment to thank God for all your blessings as you never know when they may all be gone.
Yesterday was pretty much a miserable downpour all day which was seeming to put a damper on the plans that Dan and I had for today. However, Sunday arrived with a beautifully clear sky so we decided to scrap the earlier plans and go to the golf course. No I did not play but I did ride in the cart and enjoy the weather, scenery, and just the chance to be with Dan. We were at the 2nd hole; me sitting in the cart trying to yank my hood further over my ears in an attempt to keep the brisk breeze out when we heard someone yell something about "50 yards". Dan didn't understand what he'd said either and my first thought was, "maybe he was warning those within 50 yards of him to watch out!" I got out of the cart and peered through the trees to get a better look at the guy and what I saw took a moment to register...he was performing CPR on a guy on the green. I think I said "get the cart...go!" and were to the guy in about 10 seconds. The guy had collapsed, of what seemed to be a heart attack. Another guy had beat us there and was helping do CPR. I received first aid and CPR training when I became a raft guide and was counting compressions and breaths from where we stood a few feet away. Another guy jumped in before me to take over soon thereafter. It seemed to take an eternity for the volunteer paramedics, and then the ambulance, to get there. An eternity may have been accurate though as we are in Nowhereland, Pennsylvania. As we watched and waited, I just kept praying over and over for God to save this man. I know they weren't coherent prayers but I'm hoping they were heard.
When the ambulance finally arrived, the man had taken a breath on his own but was unconscious and had a faint pulse. They then used the AED (automated external defibrillator) on him and no matter how many times you see that used on TV and in the movies, it doesn't compare to seeing it used on a man right in front of you. The ambulance finally loaded him onto the gurney and left. It was heartwrenching to see this guy, breathing for his friend and yelling, "come on Vinny, don't you do this, come on!" By the time we left 4 hours later, the course employees hadn't heard anything of the guy's condition and while I don't like to be pessimistic, it didn't look good. Having a sobering gut-check life moment really makes you snap out of our day-to-day stroll through life and remember our blessings.
1 comments:
Oh my gosh...how sad! You are so right that we shouldn't take life for granted. I hope he's okay.
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