Tonight at the gym I witnessed a scary incident. I was about 15 minutes into my cardio routine on the elliptical machine when the girl on the treadmill in front of me started behaving strangely. The girl began looking to her right and then started turning around. Initially I thought she was doing one of those tricky maneuvers and was going to run backwards. But she was looking up at the ceiling and before long she fell off the treadmill. Then I thought that maybe she had just fallen and was going to get up. I have seen people fall before and they are generally a little embarrassed and hope that no one noticed. So I kept exercising not wanting to draw too much attention to her. But she just laid there and was obviously out of it. I was definitely at a loss as to what to do. I panicked. Fortunately the gym was packed and several girls rushed over to help take care of her. The one girl obviously knew what she was doing. She later explained to the gym staff that she was a certified nurse. She started taking her vitals while others notified the gyms staff who then called the paramedics. I was so glad that there was someone there that knew what to do. They got her comfortable and kept talking to her. Then they moved her to her side when she started foaming at the mouth. (I don't know if that is the right term but that is what it looked like.) Soon the paramedics arrived to take care of her the nurse and the other helpers quietly faded into the background. Eventually the girl came around with some oxygen from the paramedics and some rest.
I thought, how great that someone who has those skills is willing to step up and help when it is needed. It reminded me of my sisters who are also nurses. I know that they also have helped out in similar situations at a moment's notice. I admire that and tonight I was especially grateful for the nurse who helped. Thank you, nurses!
