Local Heroes Save a Life
What makes a hero? Is it an act of bravery that is above and beyond what a normal person would do? Acts of bravery are usually selfless acts done to help others. The hero does not stop to weigh possible legal implications or possible personal impact. Heroes do what they do because it is the right thing at the time to help someone else. Employees at Paloma Valley High School in Menifee recently witnessed such a display.
Tuesday morning, April 14, at approximately 9:10 a.m., school officials were alerted that an adult male was in a pickup in front of Paloma High School and was non-responsive. A local contractor, who is the father of a student attending PVHS, was driving by the front of the school when his male employee passed out in the passenger seat. When he could not rouse him he pulled into the school driveway looking for help.
The contractor quickly parked and rushed to the front gate and explained what was going on. A mother of a Paloma student was at the gate at the time and explained she was an ER nurse at a Children's Hospital in Orange County. She immediately went out to the truck. The victim was turning blue and she began performing CPR while he was still in the truck. When the school administrative team arrived shortly afterwards, they were able to get him out of the truck and the parent continued CPR on the ground. 911 had already been notified. Paloma’s Nurse CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) performed mouth to mouth in between sets of compressions. They were able to get him breathing for short periods of time.
When the ambulance and fire department arrived, they took over. It took several minutes to get the man stabilized before they were finally able to transport the him to Loma Linda Hospital.
There is no doubt that the quick work of the mother and the school’s CNA saved the man's life. They were heroes in action. It is gratifying to know people like this are living among us. They look like you and me, but they acted when others might have simply waited for someone else to act.
No one knows when they will be put in such a situation, but the fortunate citizen in the Paloma parking lot benefited by two unsung heroes.
