It started out pretty okay, and ended with us watching someone almost die.
Yes, you read that right.
*****
Saturday's forcast was for rain, so we were delighted to see sun in the morning. While the day was slow, we each made enough to go home with money.
About half-way through the day a bad storm hit- lightning, thunder, wind, rain... Which was nasty, but the worst part was our neighbors...
They had come without any weights. (totally against the rules because of some SERIOUS accidents that have occurred- merchandise destroyed, people hurt. The worst accidents have happened when one person doesn't bring weights and their tent flips into their neighbor's tent and destroys their neighbor's tent and products...) I went and checked to see if there were any extras in the store room, and their were, but the chica next to us was all pissy and full of attitude about us NOT giving her any help. "My cousin is coming with them, and I'm not leaving to go get the ones in storage." So, I'm trying to be nice & polite, but still worried about OUR tent, and she's having a little hissy fit, in Spanish...
Anyway, after the storm leaves, J.R. the manager, walks by and says something about her having the weights next week. As soon as he's gone, she's off having another little hissy fit to her cousin (who did finally show up, with little tiny 10 lb. weights, when we're supposed to have 40 lb. ones). Since I don't speak Spanish, I don't know if she was complaining about us, the storm, the weights, or J.R.
Doesn't really matter. If she's not willing to obey the weight rules, she's not gonna get to sell at Farmer's Market. I hope I upset her enough that they choose to set up somewhere else, if they come back...
So, I'm upset about that whole thing. And the storm getting all our stuff wet. But we're stuck there for two more hours...
By the time closing time comes I've figured out we made enough money to make the day worth our time.
We pack up, and everybody else packs up. Most everyone is gone (we're always one of the last people there), when Tammy husband arrives. Tammy was two tent spaces down from us, next to 'Far Above Rubies' (Jennifer & Greg's goat milk lotion and soaps). Tammy finished packing up and was just leaving with her tent. Her husband, Dennis, picked up her tent, and hit the ground. I have never seen anyone hit the ground like that, or heard someone's head hit the concrete like that. A truly horrible noise...
Tammy started screaming, and Beth got to Dennis about the same time Greg did. I started screaming for someone to call 911.
A nurse customer miraculously was still there inside talking to a vender, and she came out when the screaming started. When Dennis stopped breathing she got CPR started, and Greg ended up helping her.
It took the ambulance at least 20 minutes to get there. I'm going to repeat that.
It took the ambulance 20 minutes to get there.
If you live in Fairbanks, you realize how absolutely ridiculous that time is. The Farmer's Market is located on College Rd. just a little ways away from campus and the UAF fire house. It SHOULD have taken them less than 10 minutes.
I don't know what was up, but it was horrible to be there, and have them checking for his pulse, and saying, "Okay, he's not breathing again..." And listening to the sounds of him moaning & gasping for air...
The ambulance finally got there, and they got him to the ER. He is currently in ICU, and they do not know the extent of the damage. His heart went into major failure, and he did not receive enough oxygen to his brain for about 20 minutes..
*****
I have come away from this experience with a couple lessons:
First off, don't keep critical medical information from your spouse.
Dennis had a major heart attack a while back, and was supposed to be taking medication. He hated the way it made him feel, and chose not to take it. He chose not to tell his wife, and this is the way she found out.
Critical medical secrets will come out, and in the worst possible way.
Second, I never want to be that helpless again.
I am taking CPR lessons as soon as possible, so that I can help if I am ever in that kind of situation again. I took First Aid and CPR when I worked for the YMCA after-school program, but that was more than a decade ago.
Third, I want to know where some of my friends at Farmer's Market are with Jesus.
No, I'm not going to turn into a screaming evangelist. Ha. As if. But I intend to be more purposeful about sharing my faith.
A friend recently told me this- the time to share Jesus with someone is when everything in you is saying, 'Really, God?' Not when you are so confident that you want to share it with everyone.
I think there's some value to what she meant- Not that we shouldn't be purposeful, and confident. Not that we shouldn't be direct. But that when you are more concerned about your own ability and experience, you & the person you are talking to miss out on the loving-kindness of Christ...
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