I was on my way from school yesterday, approaching the train station that I commute daily to and from, when I saw a car parked on the side of the road, blinking emergency lights, and a small group of people huddled around someone lying on the ground. Last spring I took a training course in First Aid with the local branch of the Red Cross and since then I usually carry a pair of gloves, disinfectant and a CPR mask (aka face shield) with me in my bag.
I approached the group carefully and stood a few feet away, taking in the situation. A young woman was lying on a jacket that someone had placed on the ground. She was having violent cramps, shaking, her hands in tight fists (her fingers were going white with the effort), and grinding her teeth. A middle-age woman was on her knees by the young woman's side doing a quick check-up and trying to communicate with her. The older woman was speaking in English with a heavy Swedish accent, so I gathered that the person in trouble was probably a foreigner or an immigrant. A young man, who looked very concerned, was going through the young woman's wallet, trying to find some form of ID. He was also occasionally try to ask the young woman questions in Arabic. Many of my students are from the Middle East, so I know how it sounds. And then a third person, a driver of the car, was standing nearby.
I said: "I'm trained in First Aid, is there anything I can help?". The woman, who were doing the check-up, gave me a quick look and answered calmly: "I'm a nurse and I was on my way from work. We have already called the ambulance". A small way of relief went through me, as I realised that someone much more qualified than I was in charge of the situation and that the most important first step has already been in the works. "Is she breathing?", I asked, referring to the young woman, and received a positive response.
It didn't look like an epilepsy, more like a body shutting down from extreme dehydration or hypothermia. It was a very cold day, typical for Swedish fall, and the young woman's thing leather jacket didn't look adequate enough to keep her warm. It could also be a reaction to drugs or a prescription medicine. And, sure enough, the young man fished out a pharmacy receipt from the woman's wallet. The nurse took a brief look at it, but refrained from sharing her assessment. At this point the car driver thanked us for stopping to help a person in need and said she was going to drive away to pick her kids from school. Turned out she stopped her car when she saw the collapsed girl on the ground and the young man standing by her side.
I asked the young man what happened. "We were just walking and talking and then she suddenly fell on the ground and began cramping and shaking", he said in a mixture of English and broken Swedish. He looked extremely concerned and a little scared, but composed and not panicking. A cyclist rode past us and slowed down to say: "I saw the ambulance a short way from here, it's coming soon". It sounded like a much welcome news to me.
The young woman seemed to be falling asleep or unconscious, so the nurse was trying to keep her awake, not giving up her attempts to communicate with the woman in English. There wasn't much for me to do at this point, so I just stayed put, ready to jump in at the nurse's first request.
The ambulance car appeared from under the bridge, drove past us, turned around and parked a short distance from us. Two women in uniform emerged from it with a stretcher on wheels. We greeted them and the nurse quickly described to them what happened and gave them the prescription receipt that the young man had found. The young man and I lifted the girl from the ground and onto the stretcher. We made sure that the young man was going to ride in the ambulance to the hospital.
As the ambulance drove away, the nurse and I both started walking towards the same platform at the train station. Turned out we shared the same afternoon commute from Skutskär (where I work) to Gävle (where I live). I told her it was very fortunate that she happened to be there at that time. And then the train arrived and we got onboard. Riding home I kept wondering how the young woman was doing, what had actually happened to her, where did she come from, what was her story, who was the young man with her. I was hoping she was receiving a proper care at the hospital. I also felt thankful for the presence of the professional nurse at the scene.
Yesterday, after having introduced myself on Steemit, I was wondering what contribution I could make, what stories to share. This small episode from yesterday seemed like something I could tell you about and discuss with you. Thank you for reading.
