I Watched A Man Die Today

I went to get my haircut this morning only to find myself face-to-face with death. As I sat in the chair, the man from realtor office across the hall came in and told the lady who was cutting my hair that there was a gentleman having a heart attack. She called 911 while I ran across the hall. The man was sitting at the table, struggling to breath, sweating, and shaking. Someone told me to run to the hamburger restaurant next door to see if a doctor/nurse was there. I found two sheriff deputies who ran with me back to the office. When we returned the man was still at the table. I saw the fire truck pull up so I went down the hall to open the doors. When I returned to the office with the first responders from the fire department, the man was on the floor. His face was a very dark-gray/blue color. The EMS arrived and shocked the man to see if they could get a pulse, they could not. They were able to get a weak rhythm but no pulse. I found out a few minutes later that he had passed.

I don't know the man's name. He was a salesman from out of town. Nobody is sure why he was in the realtor office, but he certainly got some good care the last frightful moments of his life on this earth.

Please pray for this man's family. I'm sure they got some really bad news this morning around 11am (EST). Though I have seen bodies before, I have never actually seen a person pass before.

 

Thanks to everyone who has commented on this thread. Please keep the family in your prayers. Also keep the realty company secretary in your prayers. She did not handle this well at all. When I say she was freaking out, I mean she was freaking out. However she did a good job getting cool wet rags for the gentleman. Personally I did fine while everything was happening. I was so busy getting the sheriff deputies and making sure the first responders and paramedics were getting to the right office that I did not have time to really think about what was happening. Things really sunk in this afternoon. I don't, however, feel sorry for myself. This poor man's family has it far worse than I do. I can move on and put this out of my head. They have a big hole in their lives that they can't put out of their heads. Having said that, there are certain images and sounds that will stay in my brain for the rest of my life. I never, and I mean never, want to see anything like that again. Period.

I have learned a bit more about the man and what happened. He was a some sort of golf salesman from a western North Carolina city (I will not name the city out of respect for board members who might live in that area) who was stopping at various clients his company has in the area. I'm still not sure why he was at the realty office. Anyway, he was a cancer survivor who had asthma problems. This, of course, explains why he did not call 911 or go to the ER when his symptoms started. He did tell the realtor that he was having trouble wtih his asthma. That was just moments before things got really bad. His brother is traveling down to claim the body (etc).

According to one of the paramedics he likely suffered some sort of massive heart attack (and the symptoms certainly fit) and not an asthma attack. This is almost always deadly. He based that on the man's symptoms, how fast the man went from bad, to worse, to gone, and the blueness of his face. An autopsy will be the only way to tell what actually happened. I don't know if one will be performed.

Again, keep the family of this gentleman in your prayers. Also keep in your prayers the secretary, the realtor, the lady who cuts my hair, and the office clerk from the business next door. Also keep in your prayers the deputies, first responders, and paramedics. They did everything they could and were clearly deeply bothered by what happened. Though things turned out tragic, this man had many people doing their best to help him. He did not die alone and he did not die uncared for. That has to count for something.

 

Thanks again to everyone. Please keep this man's family in your prayers. He had a wife, four grown children, and a brother. He would have been 61 years old this week. His family came down yesterday to claim his body, pick up his car, and visit the place where he died. They were very greatful for everyone's help. Their visit helped those of us who were involved. Come to find out this man was a "ticking time bomb". He was a cancer surviver who had asthma, but he also had a bad heart condition. He had a pacemaker put in several months ago when his heart problem was first discovered. However his doctor had warned him that he had very limited time. I'm not sure of the details, but he had been told that his heart would kill him sooner or later. His family said that they thought he had two small heart attacks back in December. However he refused to quit work and therefore died doing what he loved to do. When he finally collapsed on Thursday, he had already passed. His severe shortness of breath was due to the heart attack he had just suffered. It would only be minutes before he died. And that is about how long it took. Just a few short minutes. There was nothing any doctor, nurse, or EMT could have done. The rhythm the EMTs got on their EKG was not his heart, it was his pacemaker. That is why they could not get a pulse. He was gone before he hit the floor.

This makes me feel much better. In fact, today has been the best day I have had since Thursday. I no longer feel like I could have done something. It was just his time to go. I'm glad we were there for him in his last moments on this earth. He was not alone and I think that is important. I don't know where he is right now (heaven or hell), but I do know that all of us involved did the best we could. None of us will ever forget 2/18/2010, 10:35am. It will be a moment seared in our brains, minds, and souls forever.

Well, this is the last I will post on this. Sorry to keep adding updates but it helps to talk, and write, about it. I'm talked out and now, after this post, I am typed out. Thanks again for everyone's prayers. Please keep that man's family in your prayers. Though his death was not a surprise to them, it is still difficult.