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I Watched A Man Die Today

Discussion in 'Prayer Requests & Praise' started by Martin, Feb 18, 2010.

  1. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    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.
     
  2. Amy.G

    Amy.G New Member

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    It's hard to watch someone die. I held my father as he passed away. Knowing he was going to God made me able to accept it.

    I'll pray for this man's family and you too. :praying:
     
  3. mcdirector

    mcdirector Active Member

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    oh Martin! praying . . .
     
  4. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    It's tough enough when you are in a hospital room and everyone knows what is going to happen, but to watch it all like that was terrible.

    It can give you a real insight why we need to tell people about Jesus.
     
  5. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I'm so sorry. I've been there and it's hard to get through. I'll be praying for this man's family and also praying for you for peace and clarity on the situation.
     
  6. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    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.
     
    #6 Martin, Feb 18, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 18, 2010
  7. tommie

    tommie New Member

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    Praying for this man, his salvation and all involved
     
  8. abcgrad94

    abcgrad94 Active Member

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    Martin, my hubby and I experienced the same with our neighbor when he had a heart attack. Watching someone die is something that has a profound effect and something you never forget.

    I hope and pray God will use you in some way to comfort those affected by his death.
     
  9. Martin

    Martin Active Member

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    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.
     
    #9 Martin, Feb 20, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 20, 2010
  10. dcorbett

    dcorbett Active Member
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    Martin, I will say a prayer to our Lord on your behalf, asking for peace.

    As a 23 yr police dept employee, and 13 of that as a 911 operator, I must say that people die every day as expected, or in the most awkward situations unexpectedly. It causes us to touch base with our own mortality because we are all survivalists, we want to live! Seek peace from the knowledge of your own sins forgiven and a home in Heaven some day, and take this as a lesson to live life to the fullest, serving God. That is what I do when I deal with death in this job.

    In Him
    Debbie
     
  11. JohnDeereFan

    JohnDeereFan Well-Known Member
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    I was a paramedic for several years in my younger days. Saw many, many people die.

    You put on your game face and you go back to the station and eat your cold pizza and make jokes in bad taste at the victim's expense to try to deflect it, but it isn't something you really ever get used to. More than the people who died, I remember the looks of anguish and helplessness on the faces of their family members.

    Will be sure to pray for you and for all involved.
     
  12. Melanie

    Melanie Active Member
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    It is a shock to see sudden death, it is a shock to see anyone die.Our Western Society finds death difficult to cope with....

    The reality is despite what the telly shows, most out of hospital caridac arrests die. As a Critical Care Nurse, the experience for me has been of the slender minority who survive, there is a significant proportion who will suffer significant insult because of this event. By insult I mean there is a damage to the brain (lack of oxygen etc). The folk who survive with minimal badness have a golden opportunity to reassess what is important in their lives.


    He did not die alone and he did not die uncared for.....what more can any human being ask for...it is important, and whilst his family will be deeply shocked,they will in time take great comfort in that.

    A sick old gentleman died at work on my last shift, the family had been in attendance for 4 days...it is exhausting and distressing....but it is the human condition we all will face one day.

    God Bless You and keep you Martin.:flower:
     
    #12 Melanie, Feb 23, 2010
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 23, 2010
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