Recognizing My Hero's

The Phone Call

My mom called me, saying that the Police Lieutenant wanted to speak to me. My mind started racing in a quick review of the last month to make sure I didn't break any laws...nope, I am good.  Hard to break the law when you are stuck at home and can't drive.  And there is the fact that I just don't do things that break laws, especially to the extreme of the police calling my mother.

Suddenly, my brain cranked to Inoke and how he seems to be a magnet for really simple minded people that have a tendency to say stupid things... nope, don't recall anything that would get him in trouble either ;) Followed by an interesting realization that I was even considering the call to be a bad thing!!  If it was bad, why would they be calling anyway?? Let alone my MOTHER?! Will have to emotionally unpack that one later!

Several seconds after I heard the request, words finally formed as I asked what he needed.  I most certainly left out my unfounded concerns about being in trouble.  I felt like I was in high school again. You remember that feeling of being called to the office, only to find out your mom dropped off something that you weren't expecting.  No? Just me?? Huh...

Anxiety released me, as I heard that the city wanted to recognize my first responders with awards for rescuing me.   I knew that these two individuals are some of the most humble and courageous people I had never met.

Well, they had met me... just I didn't technically met them, ya know??!

Either way, I humbly agreed that they most certainly deserved all the recognition anyone was willing to give, and cordially accepted the offer to join the city council meeting for the award presentation.  I did add the caveat that I wasn't sure they would accept the award, since they have yet to accept my greatest of thank you's.

City Hall

When we showed up to City Hall for the Council Meeting that evening, I didn't really know what to expect.  To be transparent,  I have never even watched a city council meeting on the local TV station, let alone actually attend one!  Imagine my surprise when there was standing room only and WAY more police officers than I expected were in attendance! All I can remember thinking was, 'this all better not be for me' and 'wow, they must have one heck of a topic to discuss tonight'.

Melanie immediately recognized me as I walked into the room.  I received the biggest hugs from complete strangers than I have ever received before. (Really need to find a better way to describe that, not like I have lots of strangers hugging me! But it is all I got!) I thanked them more times than I could count, but they just kept telling me I didn't have to. And still, they played down the importance of their part in my recovery.  I was telling them about my last visit to the EP lab and how I was medically cleared. Followed by my most favorite of news of that day.  I had quit my job.  Yep, gave up the big Director job to take a Supervisor role, on a night shift, at our local regional hospital.  BIG life changes all the way around.  And then tears started to flow, I was already crying... what the heck.. now I am crying in public?!

We went to go find our seat before I hit the point-of-no-return on the tear factory and started applying my vetiver and bergamot essential oils to try and center my thoughts again. For some reason I didn't think this was going to be an emotional situation.  I can be really oblivious to the obvious some times....

Boy was I wrong.

Presentation

As the council meeting was called to order, we learned that there was an audience for more than just the awards, which was weirdly comforting.  I really don't like attention on me, and am always worried about coming across as self-important.  The city was actually swearing in some new police supervisors, which was the reason for most of the extra people!  It was great to see these brave guys accept their new roles and having their pictures taken with the city council members. A Pastor was then invited to pray for them and the rest of the police force, to close out their portion of the meeting.  How did I not know we prayed for our police force?! Seems like ever since I decided to start following Him last summer, He is everywhere now!

And then the butterflies started in my stomach.  The Lieutenant I spoke with started sharing with the room that the city wanted to recognize some citizens for making our city a better place.  He called Melanie and Jerry up to the front, near the city council members, and awarded them both with really nice plaques.  And then he started to tell my story.  How did I not realize that he would started telling my story??

Did I mention I am kinda oblivious of the obvious already??

And that is where I involuntarily started crying with a little yelp.  MULTIPLE people looked at me to see why I was being so disruptive... not realizing I was the one the Lieutenant was talking about.  I didn't realize hearing yet another person tell my story would have me in tears all over again. Maybe it was the large crowd of complete strangers. Or maybe it was his delivery.   After all, every police officer I know tells stories like it is a formally filed report...

I managed to pull myself together just in time to be called up front to be introduced.  They offered to let me say a few words when I first arrived, and had humbly declined.  Of course, the Lieutenant asked me one more time to share and I couldn't stop the words from flowing.

I reminded everyone that they should be stopping to help complete strangers.  Not to assume that everything is ok.  That not everyone knows they are so sick that they need to call 911, I certainly didn't until it was too late. Finally, I shared the belief that everyone needs to know CPR. More importantly, if you don't know CPR, just push hard and fast on their chest until help arrives. I reminded everyone that if Melanie and Jerry did not stop that day, my kids wouldn't have a mom anymore. And my husband of 13 years would have been a widow trying to raise those young kiddos on his own. What I failed to mention was that my poor mother would have lost her husband and her daughter 10 months apart.

I really didn't plan on saying anything, but the words just flowed and I went with it.  In my typical fashion, I got some laughs but felt that I got the seriousness across without being too sad...  I was cleared medically and back to work, after all, no point in being sad!

Finishing up.........

We were free to leave the meeting after the pictures with the city council were done, so my family and I met Melanie, Jerry and our other responder Tammy in the hallway.  It was great to be able to chat with Melanie and Tammy after, but surreal at the same time.  They were going back and forth on how the whole resuscitation went down, and it felt like I was hanging out with my nursing friends trading war stories... but I had to keep reminding myself that I WAS the war story. And it was really weird to not be actively reminiscing, sharing my perspective as well.  Still don't remember any of it... one of God's many blessings to me.

We also thanked Tammy for being a super detective in tracking Melanie and Jerry down on Facebook! I was so surprised to learn that Melanie and I had 6 mutual friends before meeting each other, but that is kind of how my world works... a prime example of how the theory of '6 degrees of separation' works.

When then the newspaper called the next week, I can't say I was surprised... they had been at the council meeting and wanted to hear my whole story.  I only gave permission to print if the glory went to God, and the story remained about Melanie & Jerry.  I made it very clear that her focus needed to stay on how God put me in their path and how I would not have survived without their help.  No time needed to be used on how my recovery is going or my thoughts on the miracle.

Soon I had become a celebrity in town, and many people were commenting that they had heard my story.  One of my patients at the hospital even saved the article to send to her mother.  The most impressive thing was learning that one of the physicians and one of the nurses I work with had heard my story while attending ACLS training at corporate headquarters.  Never thought I would be a case study for Advanced Cardiac Life Support... but I guess I did hit all the skill sets :)  Glad that more medical team members are learning from my story.

I have also since learned of 8 people that have signed up to learn CPR, which warms my heart to no end.  Just think how many more lives can be saved with each person that is taught this life saving skill...


See the whole news article @ http://www.hastingsstargazette.com/news/region/4332056-humble-heroes-couple-saves-life-hastings-woman