Thursday, October 20, 2011

Who I am off the field

Most people know me as the starting placekicker for the Weber State Football team. What a lot of people dont know is who I am off the field.
I'm from Redlands, California. Last year I recieved my lifeguarding license. I worked over summer at a water park to make some money for the upcoming semester. I would have never guessed that my experience would be put to the test my first year on the job.
One day during my rotation on the current pool, I heard a lady asked for help. I jumped in the water and swam to her. She was there with a relative for his birthday. I asked her what the problem was. She told me he was unresponsive and was having trouble breathing. As I began to work with the man, he began to foam blood from the mouth and nose. I quickly whistled for help and escorted the man to the edge of the pool. There I had to assist the man onto a backboard and lift him out of the pool. He continued to to foam from the mouth and nose. We assumed he was having a stroke. We called EMS and got ready to administer CPR. We checked him pulse and it was far below normal. We continued to work with the man and ended up reviving the man before EMS arrived. EMS took over and escorted the man to the hospital.
After the tragedy, I was pulled into my bosses office. He told me that the EMS said I did an outstanding job and if it wasnt for me and another lifeguard, the man wouldnt be alive. It was a wild experience. The feeling of saving someone is hard to describe.

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