So I wanted to just continue with the theme of the question of the week.
Here was my post:
"You can never be to prepared. I get made fun of all the time for having everything in my bag from hand sanitizer, a mini bottle of Lysol, to get this... a CPR Kit! I won it at my CPR certification for helping the instructor take the 3 huge boxes of dummies out to his car in the parking garage 4 miles away from the Union. I also have a full First Aid Kit in the car, and equip with gloves. I would be fully ready for this situation as far as equipment but what about my nerves? I think that would be the biggest barrier here. Would I be mentally ready to handle that situation?
I hope so. Imagining these situations really tests my faith in myself, not only my potential to be a medical professional, but also the strength I possess as a person. I hope and believe that my character would overcome my fear here. About a year or two ago, I was in a bad accident. I was just driving home from work, minding my own business, seatbelt on, paying attention to the road when a car came out of no where... no lights... cut through two lanes of traffic and totaled my car leaving me trapped inside the vehicle. It was the worst possible time to have an asthma attack, which is exactly what I had. I was trapped in the car, gasping for air. The man who hit me came out of the car, tapped on my window, asked me if I was all right, and proceeded to watch me, what looked like to him I'm sure, dying. A wonderful woman came out of her house to ask both of us if we were all right when the man told her to go back into her house right away, as he ran back to his car unscathed and sped away. The police never found him.
She stayed with me until the paramedics came, trying to get me out of the car. She probably saved my life by calling 911. She didn't hesitate for a second although I easily could have had something infectious, I couldn't breathe much less be able to tell her.
There are always potential risks involve with being around any kind of person much less clearly open blood gushing, but could I live with myself ever again if I selfishly walked away from someone who needed help? HIV or not, that would be a heavy weight on your conscience. And that would be the selfish reason why I would help. But I feel such a moral obligation after being helped by someone else that my automatic response always is to help if I can. Unless I had cuts on me the chances of me contracting HIV from her if she was HIV positive would be just that. A chance. A chance I'd be willing to take because I'd hope someone would do the same for me."
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On Easter a few years ago, I was working. I got off work in the evening around 9:00 PM. I turned out of my work parking lot and at the first stop light I hit; there was a very bad accident. The accident had just happened, there were no emergency vehicles on scene. I pulled over, telling the people who had stopped that I knew CPR. A man was telling me to help the woman in the other car, while he helped with one car. When I ran up to the car, I saw an old woman with her glasses pushed slightly off her face, sunk down in the seat. She had hit a younger girl head on, while driving down the wrong side of the road. I stuck my hand in the window and put my fingers on her neck, but there was no pulse. I remember being so scared to just touch her. I don't know why, but I was very frightened. She was still warm, and it was strange feeling someone who was just alive moments ago. I called my mom who is a nurse, telling her that this woman was dead. My mother said to just talk to her, to let her know everything would be alright.
ReplyDeleteYou never know how you will act in that situation until it happens.
What a shame they never caught the person. He probably watched the news that night to see if the accident was on there along with the news of your death. When it wasn't he thought he dodged a bullet. I'm sure he is having trouble living with himself and if he isn't when the time comes and he is dying he will understand that he is about to pay for that error in judgment. Glad you survived, Christine.
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