Here's my First Responder story...
It was Easter Sunday morning. Everything was going great. The choir sang so beautifully that morning! When everyone finished singing “Glorious Day,” we all sat down to listen intently to the message the pastor had prepared for us that day. A few minutes into the sermon, my husband turned to me and said, ' I don't feel so well. I'll be right back.' And then he left.
The next thing I know I'm getting a message to bring my keys and my purse to the sanctuary door. I make my way as quietly and discreetly as possible out of the sanctuary, which is hard when you're sitting on the front row, and I find my husband not looking well at all. Scott Glaze was there with him, and he suggested I go get my car and bring it to the door - the sooner the better would be good.
After I move the car up close to the door, I come back into the building to find my husband laying on a couch and Lisa Valdez (RN) taking his blood pressure. They sent for Dr. Craig Whiting who was in the sanctuary. I believe he was manning one of the cameras for the morning service that day.
After Lisa and Craig check out my husband, they tell us it's best if we call EMS instead of me trying to drive him to the hospital myself.
You see, at this point it seemed like a good possibility that my husband was having a heart attack. His father died at a young age of a heart attack with no indication beforehand that anything was wrong. My husband had already outlived his father by 15 years.
While folks were either at church on that beautiful Easter Sunday morning celebrating the risen Savior or at home visiting with family from out of town, our wonderful First Responders were not only on duty, but they were alert and ready for any and every call that may come over the radio.
That day, the call was for my husband. The ambulance sirens were coming to the building where we were. The sirens were for him. The EMS team came into the room and started to work on him as I watched in anticipation. They worked diligently to assess the situation, make decisions, and do what needed to be done to make sure my husband got the care he needed. They then continued to monitor and care for him as they transported him to Hendrick Hospital in Brownwood.
Thankfully, after spending all of Easter in the ER in Brownwood, we got to come home. No heart attack.
Our First Responders are all Heroes - Sheriff’s Department, Police Department, EMS, VFD, Dispatchers - every single one of them. They are all Heroes in action!
Every time you hear a siren, it starts with a call to our Dispatchers who assess each situation and decide on a course of action. Every time you hear a siren or see the flashing lights, know that whoever is in the emergency vehicle, they are going out to rescue someone - to be someone’s Hero!
But that Easter Sunday morning, they were OUR Heroes!
I’m Djuana Payton, Editor of the San Saba News & Star, and that is my First Responder story.
Send me your First Responder story to share with your fellow San Sabans in the San Saba News & Star.