"Is there a doctor aboard?"
No physician wants to hear these words while flying, but this time I was already primed by the frantic sounds of a female passenger in distress. We were over the North Atlantic, and my husband and I were on our way back to North America after a European holiday. The cabin was darkened for the in-flight movies when pleas of "Wake up! Oh, help!" rang out.
I was out of my seat, fast. The flight attendant and I arrived together to see a frightened elderly woman clutching the hand of her husband, who wasn't responding to her. His head was back, mouth open. He may have been asleep, except that he couldn't be roused.
I did a quick examination: irregular but steady pulse, colour good, no evident pain, breathing regularly without effort. I sat on the arm of the seat across the aisle, still monitoring his pulse, and asked the woman about her husband. At 80 years old, he had a clean medical history and took no medications. The couple had travelled to Scotland to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary, and they were on their way home. It had been a good holiday, she said, but tiring.
Suddenly her husband opened his eyes, looked at me, smiled and said, "Hello. What's happened?"
"Well, you lost consciousness for a few minutes," I said. "Your heartbeat isn't quite right, and that may have caused this."
Soon after, looking down on the expanse of snow over Greenland from the cockpit, I reported to the pilot that there was no other plausible explanation for the man's episode.
"We can put the plane down in 20 minutes in Gander," he told me, "or carry on for two hours and land in Toronto.
What do you want me to do, doc?" "Put it down," I said. It wasn't worth taking any chances, and the safest thing was to get him hospital care quickly.
Esta historia es de la edición December 2023 de Reader's Digest India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición December 2023 de Reader's Digest India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Have Child, Will Travel
Bringing my kid on my around-the-world adventures helped me see her in new and unexpected ways
As Gods Among Us
A photographer explores the gamut of India’s ritual performers who embody deities as a form of worship
My stutter, Myself
If others don't notice my stutter, can I really call myself a stutterer?
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Modification
A Queensland mechanic customizes bikes so veterans can get riding again
I Tried It...Exercises to Relieve Tech Neck
I STARE AT MY phone for five hours a day.
The Upside of Getting Lost
I was in the woods with my family and we'd lost our way. My phone was dead. It was getting dark. How could this possibly be a good thing?
A MOTHER'S CONVICTION
AFTER ALL FOUR OF KATHLEEN FOLBIGG'S CHILDREN DIED IN INFANCY, A COURT FOUND HER GUILTY OF MURDER. TWENTY YEARS LATER, SCIENCE FINALLY UNCOVERED THE TRUTH
KITT THE COURAGEOUS K-9
Officer Bill Cushing needed a partner. His dog needed a purpose. Together, they rescued each other
Lite, Unplugged
Could you get through seven days without looking at a device? I tried—here’s what happened
GET A GREEN(ER) THUMB
Whether you love digging in the dirt, planting seeds and reaping the bounty that bursts forth, or find the whole idea of gardening intimidating, this spring offers the promise of a fresh start.