A few days ago on my day off, I was enjoying a nice summer day,  not too hot, not too cool.  The sun was slowly setting on this small area.  My family was going about their normal business, as were the neighbors in the neighborhood.   I was sitting at the computer playing my music and surfing.   I heard my wife run in with my nephew and the dog, saying that I was needed outside now.  I quickly attempted to grab my 2-way radio, my socks, my shoes, and a pair of gloves, as well as my wallet and keys.  It seemed like forever in my mind.  I heard my wife exclaim, it was the neighbor, and it doesn't look good.  Trying to prepare myself I was so shell shocked I couldn't stand still or put my gloves on.  As I ran from the house, a neighbor who is a nurse was yelling she needed an airway. 

I ran to my truck and dug through my personal jump bag, I didn't have any airways, because my bag is just a quick kit, not an advanced bag.  A first responder had arrived and had pulled her bag and found the nurse was wanting a CPR mask.  I continued across the street seeing my nephew trying to run behind me, and my wife holding him back, I knew he didn't understand and wanted to follow his role model.  It made me think how proud I would be if he followed me into EMS. 

 I arrived at the patient CPR in progress, the ambulance arrived a few seconds later, but it seemed like forever.  As they arrived, I went into action gave a brief report to the medic, and pulled the cot from the truck, and lowered it a low position, and removed the straps, while the other medic was grabbing a board.  They placed the patient on the backboard, and secured him with the straps, and loaded him onto the cot and into the truck.  One of the first responders was in the truck with the medics.  I jumped in to make sure they didn't need anything, and I assisted to place the defib pads.  I ran some strips after I put on the ECG leads switching between the leads.  I placed the pulse ox on the patient's finger, and someone reported the patient was a diabetic.  One of the medic's tried intubating, but couldn't get it to work, so they ended up using a combitube.  The other started a line and started pushing the CODE drugs.

 We continued CPR, and ventilations.  I was in shock that the neighbor I had just seen out a few hours ago mowing is now under my hands as I do compressions, his color starting to come back in his face.  The monitor wasn't showing anything.  We worked him to the hospital, and I relinquinshed my duties to the ER Staff.

 I returned home and made sure to comfort my nephew, to make sure he was okay, I knew that at a young age that could be traumatic.  I sat down, and thoguht to myself.  I didn't cough or gag.  Usually my nerves have bothered me in the past to the fact that I felt as though my throat was closing off, and it makes me wonder if I am starting to fit into EMS the way I should, and it only took me this long.  I really have made leaps and bounds in my experiences and training.  I am more interested in complex things now, at least at times.