Yesterday I went to Starbucks for my daily coffee. I had just sat down when I noticed the woman next to me, about 45 years old, had stiffened up in her chair and then stood up in a very odd position, sliding against the window. By the contorted look on her face I realized something was not right. I went to her and she slumped in my arms with a glazed look in her eyes.
I figured it was a seizure of some sort. Two guys at the next table joined me and someone called 911. A young fellow stooped over and said, "I'm a paramedic." I continued to hold her so her head wouldn't hit anything and she gradually quieted down while the paramedic searched for a bracelet or tag for a medic alert.
The woman's body was stiffened and she was foaming at the mouth. It was scary, but everyone was very kind and concerned for her. The paramedic said her behavior was not unusual for a seizure, and we waited for the ambulance.
The woman's cell phone rang and a Starbucks employee, a woman in her thirties, answered it. She asked the caller, a friend of the woman, who said the woman had epilepsy. She asked the friend to come down to help and she said she would.
When the EMTs showed up, we let them take over and they soon bundled her up into a stretcher, and by this time she was starting to answer questions a little bit. The worst was over.
We customers went back to our tables and shakily resumed sipping our lattes. The Starbucks employee came by and thanked me for helping, and the young guy at the next table and I debriefed. I found out his name was Josh.
It was interesting how this intense scene drew the assorted customers and staff together so quickly. For a few moments we were all caught up in a frightening event and we felt very close to each other. Afterward, we slowly went back to our anonymous selves sipping coffee in our own little worlds.
It was only after I had gone back to my table and tried to get my heart rate slowed that I realized that I hadn't prayed for her. And this two days after I preached on the importance of healing prayer! So I said a prayer then.
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Bill, Seizures are one of those disorders that probably are more frightening for the observer then the recipient. Very few people are aware that 1 out of 10 people will have a seizure. A frightening statistics! I’m glad you and your fellow Starbuck goers were there to help. Rosemary Rebello
ReplyDeleteI think God loves it when we pray with words, but I think the message is received when we pray by doing: with the intention of doing God's will in our acts of loving kindness.
ReplyDeleteMary
Thanks to both of you! Rosemary, I didn't realize seizures are that common. Thanks for letting me know.
ReplyDeleteMary, you're absolutely right when you say that our intention is as important as the words we form. Thanks for that reassurance.