Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Good Stuff

I'm a part-time clerk at an AM/PM in Mira Mesa. Saturday is busy, but, this past Saturday at 8 p.m., the store was empty and my coworker and I began to relax behind our registers. The glass door swung open and in walked a man with slightly stooped shoulders, gray hair, and a kindly smile on his face. He was everyone’s "grampa."

Halfway through the store, passing in front of both of us, he stopped, went down on one knee, and slowly toppled over. My coworker ran to him. I ran to dial 911.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The operator answered quickly and asked if the man was conscious. I asked my partner, who kneeled by the man’s side. She said, "No pulse." The man was turning a bluish color.

My mind was reeling, unable able to comprehend what was before me. Time stood still. The operator said to hit the man’s chest. I handed the phone to my partner, and what was slow motion became fast forward as the doors burst open and a young woman sobbing loudly ran in, jumped down, and started to compress the old man’s chest.

I thought the woman might be his granddaughter, and I asked her who she was to him. Her answer hung in the air as she told us she didn't know him. She was just getting gas and saw what happened and felt compelled to help.

Time again began to slow when four police cruisers rushed up to the front doors, sirens screaming and lights flashing. I don't know why, but I looked at my watch. It seemed like an hour since he fell, but it had been only six minutes.

My eyes followed the policemen as they surrounded the old man. My head jerked back to the door as the fire truck arrived. As the EMTs scrambled in, time began racing again. The ambulance pulled up. Again I looked at my watch -- eight minutes, only eight minutes had passed.

They worked on him for half an hour, and as they left, one of the policemen said, "I think they got a faint pulse."

As the store became quiet again, my mind shifted from sadness to awe to an overwhelming sense of pride. What a great country we live in where so many people rush to the aid of someone they don't know.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Spa-Like Facial Treatment From Home - This Red Light Therapy Mask Makes It Possible

I'm a part-time clerk at an AM/PM in Mira Mesa. Saturday is busy, but, this past Saturday at 8 p.m., the store was empty and my coworker and I began to relax behind our registers. The glass door swung open and in walked a man with slightly stooped shoulders, gray hair, and a kindly smile on his face. He was everyone’s "grampa."

Halfway through the store, passing in front of both of us, he stopped, went down on one knee, and slowly toppled over. My coworker ran to him. I ran to dial 911.

Sponsored
Sponsored

The operator answered quickly and asked if the man was conscious. I asked my partner, who kneeled by the man’s side. She said, "No pulse." The man was turning a bluish color.

My mind was reeling, unable able to comprehend what was before me. Time stood still. The operator said to hit the man’s chest. I handed the phone to my partner, and what was slow motion became fast forward as the doors burst open and a young woman sobbing loudly ran in, jumped down, and started to compress the old man’s chest.

I thought the woman might be his granddaughter, and I asked her who she was to him. Her answer hung in the air as she told us she didn't know him. She was just getting gas and saw what happened and felt compelled to help.

Time again began to slow when four police cruisers rushed up to the front doors, sirens screaming and lights flashing. I don't know why, but I looked at my watch. It seemed like an hour since he fell, but it had been only six minutes.

My eyes followed the policemen as they surrounded the old man. My head jerked back to the door as the fire truck arrived. As the EMTs scrambled in, time began racing again. The ambulance pulled up. Again I looked at my watch -- eight minutes, only eight minutes had passed.

They worked on him for half an hour, and as they left, one of the policemen said, "I think they got a faint pulse."

As the store became quiet again, my mind shifted from sadness to awe to an overwhelming sense of pride. What a great country we live in where so many people rush to the aid of someone they don't know.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Now what can they do with Encinitas unstable cliffs?

Make the cliffs fall, put up more warnings, fine beachgoers?
Next Article

Could Supplemental Security Income house the homeless?

A board and care resident proposes a possible solution
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader