Miracles happen
with help of 911 and
a will to liveIT'S beginning to look a lot like Christmas miracles actually happen sometimes. Mine happened thousands of miles away, in a cold, wintry place. But it was made possible by people here in Hawaii.
Little did I suspect, when I was assigned to edit a Star-Bulletin article on Nov. 13 about the "Don't stall, call...911" campaign that it would come full circle and touch the life of someone dear to me.
I was already interested in the information, and the article made my interest stronger. The story said, for instance, that only 3 percent of the people who collapsed from heart attacks last year in Hawaii survived, compared with a 20 percent survival rate in some areas of the mainland.
What accounted for the difference? The promptness with which family members or bystanders called 911. People on Oahu waited an average of seven or eight minutes to call, whereas folks in King County, Wash., called within two minutes.
The statistics were hard to dismiss. And my mother and stepfather both are 80. So, when I made my weekly phone call to them in Charleston, W.Va., I made sure they were aware of the importance of speed if an emergency ever arose.
But that's just a precaution, right? They'd never actually need to call, right?
Wrong.
On Dec. 11, almost exactly one month after I had edited the 911 story, my stepfather, Arthur Horowitz, collapsed while getting ready for breakfast.
With our conversation fresh in her mind, my mother, Ernestine Horowitz, called 911 immediately.
An emergency team was in their home in five minutes. Technicians had to use the defibrillator on the way to the ambulance. They were at a medical center in another five minutes.
In spite of such a quick response, my stepfather's heart stopped in the emergency room. A medical team was able to restore the heartbeat, and a temporary pacemaker was installed. But the condition was grave.
"Your husband is very, very sick," the doctor told my mother. "If you have children, notify them."
Surgery was scheduled for Dec. 15. I arrived in Charleston that morning, having done the Honoulu Marathon and having flown all night.
I walked into the room of a very unhappy camper. My stepfather is a man of strong spirit and will. Even in intensive care, possibly on the verge of dying, he'd been sending back meals that he deemed unsatisfactory. I looked at him and saw a cornered warrior, seriously wounded.
I sat down and we started to talk. At first, the conversation was awkward. We were looking for threads, for links. And then we found one. It was "Remember that time we ..."
By instinct, we started recounting the highlights of the 30 years we'd known each other. There was a camera I'd given him long ago. What great pictures it took. He still had it, though he uses much more modern equipment nowadays.
My stepfather became more animated. His color was good. He was gesturing. His voice grew stronger. No longer was he the cornered warrior. He was a person enjoying life.
I saw what was happening and gave him all that I could, helping him find the strength and will that he would need shortly in surgery. First the doctors would try angioplasty. If that failed, bypass would be necessary.
I was aware of different nurses slipping into the room, doing busywork, perhaps just to take a peek at the change that was taking place.
AS they were wheeling him away, we looked at each other. Truly looked at each other. I said, "See you later."
He replied in a quiet, little voice, "Hope so."
His hope came true. The angioplasty worked. The doctors installed a pacemaker and my stepfather made it home in time for Christmas.
Everyone -- the doctors, nurses and my stepfather himself -- says that it was my mother's instant call to 911 that saved his life.
And there's no doubt in my mind that the people here in Hawaii taking part in the 911 campaign played an important role in it all. If it hadn't been for them in the first place, who knows what might have happened?
Thank all of you very much.
George Steele is a Star-Bulletin copy editor.
My Turn is a periodic column written by
Star-Bulletin staffers.
