First Responders At Mass

[JenDeMaria]

[quote name='havok579257' timestamp='1298241286' post='2214194']
come on winchester, don't you remember what they taught us in emt class. yell, direct and yell some more. if you yell loud enough you can even start the heart again.
[/quote]

This only works if after the initial tap and shout you inform the unconscious Catholic that you've nominated them to lead the New Evangelization Commission.

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='JenDeMaria' timestamp='1298243982' post='2214220']
This only works if after the initial tap and shout you inform the unconscious Catholic that you've nominated them to lead the New Evangelization Commission.
[/quote]

"Nothing to see here, she was just slain in the spirit. Move along."

~Sternhauser

Edited February 20, 2011 by Sternhauser

[socalscout]

[quote name='JenDeMaria' timestamp='1298227268' post='2214143']
At the 11:30 Mass, today, I noticed a young man stride briskly out the chapel door between the Offeratory and the first words of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Just before the congregation prepared to stand up and receive Holy Communion, he came back with EMTs. Apparently, a young lady had passed out in the pew about 6 or 7 up from my own. I had no idea what had happened until I walked past her pew on my way to receive and noticed her lift her arm for the EMT to place a blood-pressure cuff. She was waxy white but obviously breathing and responding to the EMT and I felt a huge surge of relief. I said a quick prayer to Our Lady for her and refocused myself on the Liturgy.

But I couldn't help wondering, what would have happened if the young lady had been having a heart attack? I'm a trained First Responder through my work and have 5 years of annual AED training and 7 years of CPR/First Aid. But I'm having trouble imagining how this scenario would have played out even if I'd have known what was going on much earlier. For one thing, all my training involves a lot of, well, if not yelling, then clearly enunciated and audible commandeering of bystanders. "I need everyone to stand clear! Who has a cell phone?! [i]You![/i] Call 911 and go stand outside to meet the EMTs. [i]You![/i] Go grab the AED and bring it to me quickly!" etc. Obviously, this would not be the reverent, hushed behavior appropriate for an ongoing Mass.

Does Protecting God's Children involve AED/CPR training? Do you know, are the ushers or other individuals at your parish trained to handle these sorts of scenarios?

And what would you do?
[/quote]

We were driving into the parking lot for Easter Mass and one of the parking attendees, who must have been in his 70s, collapsed right in front of us. My wife is a dental hygienist who is required to be CPR certified amongst other certifications for her license to practice, went right to work checking vitals and doing everything she had been trained to do while all I knew to do was call 911. This is a woman who goes into a complete panic if any of our kids even looks like they are choking but when it comes to others in distress she becomes the Iceman. It's happened more than once and I am in awe of my wife.

[Semper Catholic]

Some of the responses in here are troubling. Hopefully I never have a medical problem at Mass.

[Lilllabettt]

[quote name='Semper Catholic' timestamp='1298320763' post='2214483']
Some of the responses in here are troubling. Hopefully I never have a medical problem at Mass.
[/quote]


Doubt you'll have a medical problem at Mass, since you don't go to Mass.
Or has that changed?
On what you said: there are no disturbing responses in this thread just jokes that go over some people's heads.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

+JMJ

The last time a parishioner collapsed at a Mass that I was at, we were at the Our Father and we all stopped and sat in silence as we all waited for the ambulance to arrive. We were not invited to pray for this man or anything, and I felt like it was an opportunity to gawk or talk, so I said some prayers for the man's health and that the ambulance would arrive quickly. Once the man was leaving with the EMTs, everyone broke out into applause, then we continued again with Mass. I think there was a lady who was a nurse who was nearby that lent a hand while the man was waiting for help to arrive, though...

If you can do good, do it...

[havok579257]

[quote name='Semper Catholic' timestamp='1298320763' post='2214483']
Some of the responses in here are troubling. Hopefully I never have a medical problem at Mass.
[/quote]


well coming from a paramedic, everything that has been said here seriously is correct. so as to why you would not want correct medical attention boggles my mind.

[Catherine Therese]

I think you could quietly rally the people immediately around the situation. I would send one person to call 000 (our equivalent of 911) and get emergency services on the scene.Then I would send one person up to speak to one of the acolytes so that they could inform the priest who would hopefully pause and ask people to be calm and to stay back out of the way whilst we helped the person. I would then follow whatever First Aid training was applicable to the medical emergency that was occurring until emergency services arrived. Hopefully we could easily enough resume Mass from where it was up to prior.

Obviously where it is possible we should be as respectful as possible regarding the Mass, the priest and especially the consecrated Presence of Our Lord if this has already happened by the time the medical emergency takes place.




I think Our Lord wants everything we do to be guided by and motivated by charity - true charity. Especially when He asks us to see Him present in everyone that we meet. So I ask each of you this: what would you do if Jesus Christ Himself was standing among us and HE started having a medical emergency?

[Groo the Wanderer]

This has happened about 4 times at Masses in which I was participating at our parish. Lord knows how many times it has happened at other Masses (we have 7 every weekend). Each time, everyone remained calm and the Mass continued without interruption as it should.

The people immediately around the person worked to make them comfortable in the pew while others summoned 911, notified the ushers, and notified the deacon or alter server. Father always added prayers at the end of the Mass for the person and in one instance, after communion, left the sanctuary to give them a blessing before returning for the dismissal.

No need to make a scene. No need to yell or scream.




...unless it happens during a charismatic Mass I guess :-)

That said there was one time at daily Mass where a lady fell to the floor after receiving the Eucharist. I sprang forward and was about to check vitals when I noticed she had a peaceful smile on her face and was breathing normally. Just one of those things...Father said it happens sometimes and just make sure nobody steps on her.

[CatherineM]

We have mass routinely interrupted by sirens outside. Once a woman was shot by the police right outside the church during the Saturday evening mass. Father didn't stop the mass, but he definitely added the woman to the prayers. She was off her medication, and threatened the police with a fake gun. They had no idea that it was fake. Suicide by cop.

[kujo]

There was a young girl in the youth group with me while I was in high school. She had a whole bunch of problems, not the least of which was her frequent bouts of anxiety. She had a particularly bad one in the middle of mass one Sunday. I think she had gotten into some argument or fight with her mom prior to mass, and, for whatever reason, in the middle of communion, she has a violent anxiety attack. The thing I remember about it was that our deacon, a very "charismatic" type, behaved like a real jackass; he strode over to her passed-out body, moved people who were trying to revive her, and said something like "Arise, Valerie!" This dude thought he was gonna bust out with a miracle right then and there; instead of getting her a glass of water and calling an ambulance (she had fallen and it was unclear whether or not she had banged her head on the pew), he tries to go all Charlton Heston in [u]The Ten Commandments[/u]. That guy was silly.

On the other hand, there was a time when my sister, who also was suffering from anxiety and stress-related issues, passed out in the bathroom during the homily. I was in the choir section, and when my girlfriend, who was with her at the time, walked out of the bathroom without her, and had this strange look on her face, I bolted across the church to go help her. It was a scary situation; she basically went into a coma for about an hour which was never explained. In any case, our parish was right next door to a hospital, so she was taken away and cared for very quickly. Thank God that deacon wasn't at that particular mass. If he had tried any of that "arise" croutons on my sister, I would've knocked him on his rear!

Edited February 23, 2011 by kujo

[HopefulBride]

The last time we had anything like that was with the priest himself. He is a retired Trinitarian (who insists on saying daily mass regularly - such inspiring dedication to the Lord) He had been ill for a few weeks and right before the Gospel, he mumbled something that I couldn't hear. Apparently though it was asking for help cause one guy rushed to help him down from the altar and took him to the sacristy (which has a back door to the parking lot) Then one of the Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist stepped out w/ her cell phone and at the end of what ended up to be a communion service, the Ambulance had already taken him away. Yes a few people had to rush around and we stopped for like five minutes but there was no yelling and through it all there was reverence.

ETA:

Most importantly, THERE WAS NO YELLING!!! lol

Edited February 23, 2011 by HopefulBride

[let_go_let_God]

[quote name='Sternhauser' timestamp='1298244740' post='2214229']
"Nothing to see here, she was just slain in the spirit. Move along."

~Sternhauser
[/quote]


I actually had this happen to me twice. The first time was at retreat and I was honestly just resting in the spirit. The first responder just stayed with me and monitored my vitals until I came to on my own.

The second time I was praying the Rosary with friends and nuns before the Blessed Sacrament. I was feeling sick and I tried to get up when I passed out and then hit my head on the wall. Evidently my friends the nursing students got good practice checking my vitals and called campus security and an ambulance. While the sisters did a speedy Reposition of the Sacrament.

God bless-
LGLG