First Responder
October 30
I ran to the upstairs classroom because a student came to the office saying another girl had passed out. The teacher had Cathy laying on on side and was moving the desk away. She was crying and her eyes were open. I knelt down beside her and we tried to get her to sit up but it was clear she wasn’t ready.
I couldn’t see her face so I laid down beside her. Her eyes were flickering as if she was going unconscious I kept talking asking her to stay with me. Look at me, look at me I asked trying to get her focused. It wasn’t working.
The principal came in behind offering water and a bag of ice.
We need 911 I told her. My medical expertise comes from hundreds of episodes of ER and Gray’s Anatomy.
Cathy screamed. I asked her what hurt. I told her to look at me and that we had this.
It didn’t look like a seizure to me besides it was going on too long. I knew the student had sickle cell but I had no idea what that meant. I wished Rose Cioffi would walk in but this school doesn’t even have a school nurse. The principal was back telling me that Cathy’s mother and 911 were on the way.
It seemed that Cathy’s eyes were bouncing all over she was breathing fast. Somewhere in my head a voice said be present. I grabbed Cathy’s hand and asked her to squeeze mine.
Nothing.
WHAT WAS I GOING TO TELL HER MOTHER?
I kept talking.
The principal had the EMT’s on the phone, she was relaying questions to me.
Yes, she is conscious.
Is she in pain?
She is not responding to me. Again I ask her to squeeze my hand, nothing. I squeeze her hand but still no response.
I have enough real live experience to know that many ugly looking situations turn out just fine. I have enough real live experience to know that sometimes seemingly benign situations become disasters.
OH MY GOD, I don’t want to be the witness.
My brain continues on the dual track calmly talking to Cathy and screaming inside my own head.
Ok, Cathy the EMTs are outside in just a few minutes this will get straightened out.
Four EMTs walked through the door took blood pressure and pulse. I stepped back. In moments they had Cathy on the stretcher and out the door.
Two days later, Cathy was back in school. Just like so many ER episodes I have no idea what happened.