Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 09:46:59 -0500
Reply-To: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET>
Subject: Re: How goods the firstaid kit in your Westfalia?
In-Reply-To: <d1ea9acf0907022214j3bceb5d2xa21922d60c264e32@mail.gmail.com>
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Craig,
God Bless! We need in this old world all the Good Samaritans we can get.
I'm going to check my First Aid kit.
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
craig cowan wrote:
> So I just got off from another long day of work teaching both youth and
> adult sailing lessons at the Marina today, my summer Job in Reno Nevada
> 2009, and I headed over to the local Chevron station to grab a cool drink.
> On my way In I see these two nice people, well dressed, sitting in the grass
> with a sign and a guitar. The sign read "$20 to get us to Truckee". I pulled
> my VW Bus into a parking spot and walked over to engage these nice young and
> surprisingly well dressed transients. Upon talking to them I stated "Well I
> don't have much money, so I can't help you to Truckee, but I thought i'd
> offer to buy you guys a cool drink, if that would help?". We got to talking
> and they said they were actually offering $20 for someone to drive them just
> over the border to Truckee, as I guess the cops in Nevada hate hitching
> rides while California is cool with it. They've been transient for 4 years
> now, from New Jersey, playing guitar along the way to get by! Well I was
> talking with them, and an older gentleman whom I later found out was 65
> years old comes walking over and says something softly. I said to him
> "What's that I can't hear you?" as he grasps his chest and gives a breath
> asking to call 911!
>
> Sure enough I bust out my trusty Cellular Phone and start dialing the
> numbers. I got some voice message and static, It didn't seem as If i were
> talking to anyone, so I ran inside the building instead. I get inside
> (Leaving Philip, the 65 year old heart attack victim, with the young couple)
> while I grabbed their phone. I spoke with the gentleman clerk and asked to
> borrow his phone to call 911, as a man was having trouble in their parking
> lot. I talked with 911 which had dispatched paramedics as I ran back out to
> see our man, at this point sitting on the curb having an awful lot of
> trouble breathing. We pulled out some paper and started writing down
> everything He said As we asked him a series of questions. We got a list of
> his current medications compiled, his past ailments, his name, etc while he
> drifted off and had further trouble breathing. He said he had open heart
> surgery years ago, had a history of chronic heart failure, and had just
> taken 3 "Nitros". His heart was definitely fibrillating based on his pulse,
> it was erratic and strange. By the time the fire department, followed
> closely by an ambulance arrived, he was in poor shape. I asked the Gas
> station attendant for an AED or even just a mouth barrier should I need to
> start CPR, but these words seemed very foreign to them.... yet they spoke
> perfect english.
>
> The Paramedics took Philip away on a stretcher, after hooking him up to an
> AED and providing him with Oxygen. I do hope all is well with him. They
> arrived promptly and were top notch. It pays to have first aid training, and
> be in the right place at the right time!
>
>
> I stopped to help to transients with a cold beverage, and ended up helping a
> man with a failing heart.
>
>
> When I went into the store to purchase said beverages for my new friends,
> the gentleman clerk praised me with many graces, wished God's blessings upon
> myself and my family, and wished me a wonderful day. Safe travels were
> awarded too, and from, the transient couple.
>
> What a way to end a long day!
>
>
> Things would have been all that much less worrisome if I had a good firstaid
> kit in my Vanagon. Be sure to get a mouth barrier device, should you ever
> need to do CPR (and they are currently teaching just chest compressions
> though....).
>
> Good day to all!
>
>
> -Craig
>
> '85GL turned WESTY
>
> BOSTIG in the back
>
>
>
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