Practical implementation turned out to be surprisingly different from what we learn in theory. Medicine and healthcare never attracted me more than having general knowledge of the human body. Still, at school, when we were taught to behave in urgent situations, I remember imagining how I can once save a life. The algorithm of acting in acute situations seems to be clear, simple, and safe (CPR HQ, 2021). However, during my experience, I realized practically the feelings you get from life-threatening situations are different from books.
I was walking to the college one usual routine morning, sleepy and tired. At the bus stop, I saw a woman breathing hardly and noisily. People walking by had a slight hesitation on their faces, maybe because the woman was dressed very soberly and poor. Some parts of her clothing were dirty, and under nails, there was a thick layer of dirt. However, my attention was primarily attached to her difficulty breathing, drops of sweat on the face, and gestures asking for help. I got frightened and became rooted to the ground: my intention to move towards her was not strong enough compared to my fears and weaknesses. Woman’s appearance was not an issue – I did not know what to do, how to behave, and why other people kept passing by.
Finally, I managed to pull myself together, sat next to the woman, tried talking to her. She made some noises, leaned on my body, and looked at me with her foggy eyes. The woman managed to point on her phone on the line with contacts. I tried calling the number, her daughter answered, and in five minutes she appeared next to us. Luckily, the woman has not left very far from home. With the help of her daughter, we called an ambulance and waited for it together.
The daughter was thanking me as I saved her mother’s life, and later I realized I partly did. Even though I was afraid to act confidently, call an ambulance and be stronger than I imagined myself at the school classes, I managed to help, and that was a good thing. I never thought how different the practice from real-life can be. I never thought how strong and incredible doctors are saving peoples’ lives. More importantly, I have never thought about how fragile human life is, and how easy it is to lose it.
Reference
CPR HQ. (2021). The seven fundamental steps of CPR. Web.