It was a Saturday morning and Tommy and I had just arrived home from work. We were both tired. He had worked both of his days off and I had worked a rowdy ward and was mentally exhausted from mind games that were played all night.
We were drinking coffee, talking about our night and trying to decide what we wanted for breakfast, when the phone rang. It was one of our best friends Jody. He needed Tommy's help with a side job, that had to be done that day.
Ordinarily, Tommy would immediately say "yes" but today he just didn't really feel like it. Jody told him that he hated to ask but the two guys who were supposed to help him do the job, got drunk the night before and couldn't work. Jody's son was going to help and he really needed Tommy. He said the job wouldn't take long and he would be home by noon. Tommy agreed and they were gone within a few minutes.
The weather was ominous. It looked like it could storm any minute and they had a tree to cut down, just outside of Fulton.
By the time they got there it had started to sprinkle and Tommy had begun to sweat profusely. He was loading the truck as Jody cut the tree.
Tommy had to sit down and he sat where a copperhead was hiding. Someone spotted it and killed the snake. Tommy started to get sick at his stomach, and to hurt and burn across his shoulders. He thought he had been snake bit. He asked Jody's son Ryan to get him something to drink.... and threw up. Tommy kept getting sicker and finally told Jody he needed to go to the Emergency Room.
They stopped what they were doing and were in the truck heading for help as fast as they could. Tommy drove!!!! That man refuses to give up the wheel no matter what!!! Luckily, they were only a few miles from the emergency room and were there soon.
As soon as he walked in, the team knew what was going on. One of the R.N.'s was a friend of Tommy's and he told Tommy to relax and let him take care of him. He was given 4 baby aspirins and everyone started working on him. He was in the middle of a major heart attack.
He kept asking for me. Jody was trying to call me on the phone, however it was Saturday morning and I was touching base with all my daughters. We were on the phone for an hour.
Finally, Jody called his wife Bambi and asked her to come and tell me what was going on. Bless her heart, she had a broken foot, four grandchildren to load in the van and it had started to rain fairly hard. As soon as she pulled into the driveway, I knew something was wrong. She was so sweet, she asked to take me to the emergency room because she thought Tommy was having a heart attack and she was afraid for me to drive.
I thanked her and ran back in the house. I told her I would drive myself. I couldn't think for a minute. Then grabbed my purse, keys and took off to Fulton.
We live twenty five miles from Fulton, about fifteen miles if you take the gravel road. I took the gravel road and was lucky that I literally didn't run into anyone else on the road.
I remember I was shaking and on the verge of tears and praying out loud. I was in my Blazer but I still had lousy traction on the gravel. As soon as I got to the E.R. a nurse was waiting for me at the door. She told me they were getting ready to transport Tommy to Columbia ,and that he was worried about me.
She told me to run over to him and let him see that I was ok. I gave him a kiss and told him I would see him in Columbia.
I ran to the door to get Jody and a nurse was holding the door open for me. Have you ever asked someone as question, expecting a certain positive answer and then hearing just the opposite.
I did that. I asked the nurse if Tommy was "going to be alright". I was expecting a "Yes honey, he will be fine" Instead I heard, "I don't know honey, he is right in the middle of a major heart attack---drive safely and pray. It is in God's hands now". " The main thing is to make sure you get there safely."That was all I heard.
Fear gripped my heart and I couldn't hardly breath. Jody came up to me and asked me to drive. He has an old eye injury and has trouble seeing at times. He was as big a mess as I was. He told me to take it easy but drive as fast as I could because the ambulance was on the highway and cars were getting between us.
I put on my emergency flashers and stomped the gas. We caught up with the ambulance ---who was in the passing lane going 90 mph. I got behind them and followed as close as possible.
The police were waiting for us at the road that turns into Boone Hospital. They stopped traffic and Tommy was bought in through the emergency room doors.
A nurse was there for Jody and me and took us to a waiting room. I had already called Tami while I was on the way to the hospital. She contacted our other daughters and plans were made. Tami was there first, then Melodi came in from Kansas City, and Lisa flew in from Naples, Florida. Friends came. It was all a blur for awhile. The doctor came out and said "Tommy would be fine. They had put in one stent and then told me he came within 30 minutes of dying.
I think of all the things I heard that day----that sticks out in my mind the most. Without knowing it, Tommy made a decision that saved his life. He decided to help Jody.
If he had ate breakfast and gone to bed he would have died in his sleep. We live 25 miles from town---41 miles from Columbia. He would have died if he had been home. He probably never would have woke up.
That makes me wonder about all the decisions we make each day. They very easily could be life or death decisions----that we never know about.
We all basically live by action and reaction. We make plans, they either work or they don't. We react. Usually the consequences are never noticed. But every now and then we realize or we get a slap in the face by reality that we are mortal. We are here for such a short time compared to eternity. It can slip away in the blink of an eye.
Yes, you don't forget these moments that make you grateful for every day.
ReplyDeleteso true. We make decisions every day---wonder how many "near death experiences" we avoid and never know it?
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