A rollercoaster week...
Tuesday was...amazing. Beyond description. The best. The euphoria carried me through Wednesday.
On Thursday morning the 13-year-old son of a good friend of mine suffered a cardiac arrest during PE class. The good news is that the teacher not only knew CPR, he started it right away and performed it amazingly well (even the medics said that). The bad news is that my friend's son is still in critical condition, though definitely NOT brain-damaged (thanks to the amazing teacher!) and the docs are still trying to figure out what happened. It sounds like they might be leaning towards an abnormal heart rhythm that will require a permanent defibrillator. It's a small price to pay if my friend gets his boy back. I have to believe that he will. So many of us are sending prayers / good vibes / good karma...whatever, that even my obsessively-scientific mind insists it has to count for something. Is this a sort of bargaining?
The humbling part came in an email update from my friend, in which he writes (keep in mind I'm a CPR instructor. Also keep in mind spelling isn't a priority for him right this minute): "I wanted you to know that I have a new found respect for what you do. CPR is an AMAZINg thing. And the fact that 's teacher and princiapl knew it well, saved his lfe. And saved his brain basically. I am going to make sure I get certified."
Here's my pitch, people (if anyone is reading this): GET CPR CERTIFIED! You never know whose child you may be able to save. Possibly your own. Or your best friend's. Or someone's mom or husband...you get my drift...
So how do you describe a week that goes from "My Dog, we DID IT!!!!! Obama is PRESIDENT!" to "D.'s son is in the ICU in critical condition"? Right now, I'd say it's freaking exhausting. I'm going to sleep on it, and hopefully wake up to good news from Children's hospital.