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Kim Mayo's avatar

There's a whole lotta brain worms in Washington!

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Christy Jobe Carter's avatar

As I pack for a move from the Wilmington area back up to Virginia I listened to your excellent piece. Of course I have said that about each and everyone of them and I am so glad you will be basically moving with me and I can still listen to your wisdom. The part that captured me was "Dr. Oz seems to be saying it’s our patriotic duty to stay healthy. Not sure where accidents fit in this scenario. Perhaps our last words as we lay gasping by the side of the road will be “Fuck! I shoulda had the carrot cake.”

Years ago I was taking a cooking class in Bethesda, MD. Afterwards feeling full of optimism that I might actually craft the same dinner for my family (nope) I went to the local grocery store, Safeway. Now in that area there are one side of the street you are in DC, the other side in MD... and most time you rarely know. So as I walked through the parking lot a woman yelled, grabbed her chest and went down on the ground I ran to her and she was having a heart attack but was still conscious.

This being the time before trump and his golden shower, oooops I mean golden escalator ride and people actually helped each other. I sent one person to grab my medic bag, as I was a Cardiac Care Tech at the time, an other was calling 911. I was taking her pulse and her history and the bag arrived and I pulled my stethoscope out to listen when she sat bolt upright and yelled get me to the other side of the parking lot. I was very confused. An 80 something man grabbed her and started trying to hoof it across the lot and about three other people all of sudden sprung into action and grabbed ankles and head and moved her to the far side of the parking lot. It was a united front of people who silently communicated with one another.

At this moment the Manager of the store came out and I grab my bag and hurry after this parade, hearing sirens coming closer. I looked at the manager and he says. That side is DC, this side is MD. You don't want to get in the ambulance for DC. They take you to Washington Med Center. The light dawned, Bethesda Chevy Chase took you to Suburban, or Adventist, or even Sibley (Babies and plastic surgery were their specialties) there was a good chance at Washington Hospital center if you went in for surgery you didn't come out upright at that time. So the DC guys arrive and she was out of their jurisdiction about 2 minutes later BCC arrived and I put her on the ambulance headed for Suburban and followed in my car to make sure we got her family on the phone, her Dr's made aware, and the manager took her groceries and put the ice cream in the freezer and put the rest in the chiller for her.

I was instructed to find out the name of the "nice man who dragged me across the parking lot", which I did, Mr. Marvin. As I stood next to her in the ER she said you know I put back that chocolate cake but when I go get my groceries I am going to get the biggest one they have.... being at Deaths door step does remind us to enjoy the cake despite worm brained idiots telling us not to.

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