The Unexpected Moment: An EMT Reflects on Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

Posted on Oct 13, 2022 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Andrea Jo Rodgers

My father adjusted his rearview mirror. “We’ll stop at the next exit for dinner. If I recall correctly, there’s a little Italian restaurant there.”

“Let’s try to make it quick,” my mom said. The forecast called for light rain, and she was concerned about the possibility of black ice.

“Sounds good,” I said, pausing the DVD player. We were on our way home from visiting relatives. After a long and busy day, I was looking forward to going to bed.

Within a half hour, the three of us were seated in a cozy restaurant. The smells of oregano and garlic wafted through the air. After we ordered, I gazed at my surroundings. About half of the tables were occupied.

Our waitress started us out with a warm loaf of Italian bread and side salads. My parents and I chatted about what we still needed to do before Christmas, like shopping and baking cookies.

The waitress served our main course, and I took a few bites of lasagna. Suddenly, I heard a commotion at the table next to us. I turned just as an elderly woman screamed, “My husband needs help!”

I sprang to my feet and rushed to them. “What’s wrong?”

The woman grabbed my forearm. “I think he’s having a heart attack.”

I squatted next to a man who looked to be in his eighties. He was hunched forward in his chair. His face was turning blue, indicating he wasn’t getting enough oxygen. His eyes were wide with fear. Was he indeed having a heart attack? Or could he be choking?

“Sir, can you speak? Are you choking?” I asked. He didn’t reply.

It was clear he couldn’t get any air into his lungs. I squatted behind his chair and wrapped my arms around his midsection. I began performing abdominal thrusts, fervently praying that the Heimlich maneuver would dislodge whatever was stuck in his throat.

Approximately 4,000 people die from choking in the United States each year. In fact, it’s the fourth leading cause of unintentional death in our country. If someone at the scene doesn’t know the Heimlich maneuver, victims must wait until EMS arrives. Unfortunately, this means survival rates go down.

I heard a waitress say she was calling 911. The couple seated across the table from the choking victim began praying. At that point, I blocked out everything else. All that existed in my world was my mission to dislodge the foreign object from the man’s airway.

He began slouching farther forward, and I feared he was going unconscious from lack of oxygen. As I gave the gentleman more abdominal thrusts, a chunk of steak shot out of his mouth.

He immediately began breathing, sucking life-saving air into his oxygen-starved lungs. I felt his radial pulse at the thumb-side of his wrist. It was strong and regular. The bluish hue of his face morphed into a healthy pink.

The waitress rushed over to the table. “EMS is on the way.”

The gentleman nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared in my life, but I feel much better now. Thank you so much. The steak went down the wrong way and got stuck.”

I continued to kneel next to him. “I’m glad you’re feeling better now. Your pulse and breathing rate are normal. When the paramedics get here, they’ll examine you, and they can take you to the hospital to get checked out.”

As the medics arrived, I stood up to get out of the way. The man’s wife hugged me tightly. “Thank God you were here.”

I returned her hug. “I’m glad I could help.” I slipped back into my seat next to my parents.

A short time later, we settled into our car to finish the last leg of our journey.

“On our way out of the restaurant, I overheard a woman tell the person she was sitting with that you just saved a man’s life,” my mom said. (She’s my mother, so of course she was feeling super proud of me at that moment.)

I knew who deserved the credit, and it wasn’t me. It belonged to a higher power. God had placed us in that restaurant at precisely the right time for me to be able to assist. We could have saved time by going to a fast-food restaurant, but my father chose that little Italian restaurant instead. I marveled at how once again the Lord had set the pieces in motion to orchestrate a rescue. He so often intervenes in quiet ways to help us. I felt truly blessed to have had the opportunity to assist someone in need.