"It's been a day that I'll be digesting for a while"

read the whole thing, even if you've "been there, done that"

so anyway, tonight, I had intended on posting on Susan's excellent comment from the other day, but this caught my eye and forced me to re-live some experiences from my past.

.....where there was a pretty horrific two-vehicle accident. One was an Escalade or other big GM SUV with a smashed front end. The other was a Nissan Altima smashed on the passenger door.

There was no one in the SUV, but several people standing around the Altima; I rode up and asked if everyone was OK. A bystander said "No."

So I parked, pulled off my gloves and helmet and went to the driver's door where a woman was crying but seemed OK. Her passenger was sitting still.

I went around to the passenger window, and cut away the side airbag. The passenger was still in his seat, his head to the side in a way that made me pause. I grabbed the back of his head and chin to hold his head steady, and he gasped twice, then was silent. The driver was tugging on his shoulder, calling his name and I pushed her away and told her to sit back and be still.

I held his head with my left hand and felt for a pulse in his throat with my right and got nothing. Wrist, nothing. hand on his chest, nothing.

I took a breath and told myself I was just anxious and tried again. Nothing. hand on his chest, no rise or fall. Eyes half open and rolled back, a line of spittle from the corner of his mouth. I checked my watch, opened my pocket and took out the gloves and CPR shield and opened them and put them on the car roof.

Read the whole thing. And ask "What would I do?" Phone it in? Or do something meaningful? Congratulations to Marc for doing what he could; despite the outcome, he made a difference in someone's life. Instead of reaching for his cell phone, he reached in and touched someone. Well played, Sir.

After all, it's all about adding value to the lives of others.

Myself, I've been in similar situations and I know what Marc is feeling right now. Have you ever done CPR, for real? Do you know what that first or second compression feels like as the cartilage breaks away? The ARC dummy is a far cry from what it's like in the real world.

What can you do? Get the training, CPR, First Responder, whatever. And Act! when called upon. Just.Do.It. Then act when you can.

h/t to The Sanity Inspector over at Protein Wisdom

more soon