I watched as he walked from the car to the pathology clinic, request form in hand. It was a routine cholesterol check.
I watched in dismay as he collapsed holding onto the shop front as he fell.
I jumped from the car and ran to his aid. His legs had crumpled under him, his eyes were shut, he was motionless.
My first thought was to roll him onto his side, to check for vital signs, all my CPR training came back to me.
I shouted at him, no response, I felt for a pulse, no result, I rolled him onto his back looked into his face, there was nothing happening.
I could feel the adrenalin kicking in as I started CPR. Suddenly there were people around me, I cried out for someone to get help.
Thirty compressions, two breaths. Then again and again.
A person knelt beside me said they’d do the breaths, I kept up the compressions. A nurse from the pathology clinic came out said an ambulance was on the way. Within seconds I could hear the sirens. I prayed for them to hurry.
Then another person seeing my growing distress said they’d take over the compressions, and I moved away, sat beside him my mind in turmoil, what more can I do?
The ambulance arrived and took over. They had a defibrillator, I stood back, they checked his pulse, his eyes, called his name, asked me some details which I answered but I don’t remember what I said.
They had him on their gurney and in the back of their wagon, and I got in with him as the officer hooked him up to what they had to keep him alive during the trip to the hospital.
My mind was still in a daze, I could hear the sirens wailing, begging the traffic to get out of the way and give us a passage through.
At the hospital, medicine took over, and I was sent to sit and wait. A nurse came and asked me more questions, and again I mumbled something, I hoped it was articulate.
Beside me, a daughter appeared, asked what had happened.
I told her he collapsed, that I tried CPR until I couldn’t stand any longer. I was worried I too might collapse.
So together we waited. There wasn’t a lot to say as my mind was flooded with images of a small baby all those years ago struggling for life only to find it being repeated thirty years later.
Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2019/01/31/tale-weaver-208-collapse-31st-january/
Morpethroad 
A touching write-up! Reminds me of the incident, when my husband’s brother was crushed under marble slabs, and his doctoe brother saved him – in the same manner. They had managed to get an oxygen cylinder and portable sonography machine too, on the spot.
That incident sounds scary to have witnessed.
I was not there – but heard every detail of it.
Very intense and real. How did it end?
He’s breathing again
Wonderful. A great thing to have taken that initiative.
Still trying to decide if it’s fiction or real. And is the man the same as the baby, and were one or the other the narrator’s son? Oh what a lot of questions you have sparked. 🙂
Good when a post generates questions
Indeed, 🙂
Excellent take on the prompt Michael. Very full of heart pounding suspense..
Thanks so much Violet
Wow Michael
I’m glad I did some CPR training.
Thankfully I have to say we did a refresher course each year and I never had to use it.
My firstaid course at work was valid for three years and I had a refresher before I was made redundant. They had a demonstration locally with a defibulator and how to use it. The CPR has changed a little as now you only do compressions. It was good to get back into it though. Apparently I have a good resus technique.
Well I’ll take your word for that….
ha! On our refresher course, one person failed, and that was because she put her hand across the casualty’s throat as she was trying to put the two breaths in. It unnerved me the first time having a resus dummy with a pulse!
Yes you had to watch where you put your hands….getting the head tilt and breathing in was often a challenge for me.
I have got to take a CPR refresher course. Great writing, Michael. I was on the edge of my chair!
Thanks so much Susan.
I too suspect this was a real event. Scary. And if not, as I hope, good story.
There’s always a degree of fiction with any story. Thanks for stopping by and reading.
My first aid/cpr certification is good for 2 years. One can only hope more people take some kind of training – I’ve read articles of Elementary students who just had CPR review and helped (saved) parents, siblings and grandparents because they stayed calm and knew what to do.
Yes so very true thankfully I never needed to use mine. But each year we renewed our skills
Interesting anecdote. I’ve got to attend a refresher course in CPR … one day.
Good idea
I never expected the ending to that story. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It looks like you aren’t saying whether this story is true or not? Keep em guessing, eh? 😉
Every time