Coincidences

Sometimes, you just have to be at the right time at the right place. It’s funny how Fate puts you in an unlikely situation, And you happen to be the vital piece of the puzzle that makes all the difference.

We were recently in London for our summer vacation trip. It was my first time there (truth be told I didn’t quite like London – thought it was too congested and too crowded with people). on July 24th, after dinner, the girls wanted a little treat and since they had been good throughout, we decided to stop by a nearby grocery store within walking distance to the hotel. It was an M&S Foodhall store, the one on York Rd, and had just what we wanted – treats, snacks, drinks. While I was looking at the selection of chocolates on the aisle, I heard a scream and Kristin exclaims “something is happening there”.  We see a man on the ground and his wife screaming hysterically. It was clear he was not breathing – he was unconscious and his face was blue. We rushed over and found him pulseless and immediately started CPR. Another doctor in the crowd joined us and assisted as well. He and I took turns with the chest compressions; I yelled to someone to get a defibrillator while feeling for pulses to ensure the compressions were adequate. Someone brought an AED and Kristin slapped it on his chest. Shock recommended, it stated. I yelled “clear”, did a quick visual to confirm, and she pushed the button. His body jolted for a moment, I then resumed chest compressions, but it seemed clear something was happening. Color returned to his cheeks, and stopping briefly to check, he had pulses! About that time, EMS arrived, and he was starting to come to. The other doctor started to give report; in the meantime, our girls were standing in the back, one of them in tears because of the sheer shock of things. Kristin and I went to them to comfort them, I quietly thanked other doctor and helpers, and we quietly made our way out of the store.

To be honest, though we brought him back temporarily, I do not know his condition right now. I don’t know if there was any residual neurological damage, which is often the case for patients who code and then are brought back. I recall that elderly lady we resuscitated in the hospital when I was a resident. Despite being in her 70s and having numerous medical issues, her family did not want us to stop, so we went on until she regained pulses. But a subsequent neurological exam showed what we feared- brain death- but at least being able to say goodbye to her in person would give the family closure.

Perhaps out of pride or ego, I’d like to think that because we were at the right place at the right time, the unlikeliness of all- two American healthcare workers who happen to be at a store in London to get snacks when a person had a cardiac event- that someone today still has a husband, father, brother. We shall remain nameless and faceless to him and his family as they'll never know who we were, and aside from this blog and some family we shared the story with- this incident will never be known. But I’d like to think that perhaps we were put there for a good reason, and that we helped save a life. And a lesson I'd like to pass on to my girls is, when someone is in trouble, never be afraid to step in and help.