My Entertaining Saved My Friend's Life!

               Yesterday, a friend called me and said, “I need you to entertain me so I don’t pass out from a possible concussion.”  That’s a new one. 

He has a sensitive vagus nerve, which occasionally results in him passing out. He accidentally hurt his hand while doing chores, and the pain caused his nerve to flare and he passed out, smashing face-first into a hard floor. Waking up, with glasses broken, face hurting, and extremely dizzy, he laid down on his back as sitting or standing made him dizzy. Laying on the floor with nothing to do, we both figured that until his mom  arrived to take him to the doctor, keeping him awake was probably a good idea.  (It’d also allow me to monitor him, in case he suddenly stopped sounding coherent or quit responding entirely.)

               So I swung into action, located various story-jokes about cats and dogs on my PC.  We laughed and  wiped tears from our eyes until he said it no longer made him dizzy to sit up. 

               He was fine, but if he hadn’t been, my entertainment could have saved his life!

               We got to thinking how much odder things would have been if he had lost consciousness, because I live in the U.S. and he lives in Canada, so a 911 call would get me an American emergency dispatch agent.  I probably would have called our mutual friend in Toronto, who could dial 911 and get through to Canadian Emergency Dispatch. What a call of confusion that would be…

DISPACH: 911.  What’s your emergency?

TORONTO FRIEND:  My friend might have a concussion and just lost consciousness.

DISPACH: And what is your location?

TORONTO FRIEND:  Well, I’m in Toronto, but my friend is in Manitoba.

DISPACH: Ma’am we only take serious calls.

TORONTO FRIEND:  I am serious!  My friend hit his head when he passed out a few minutes ago.

DISPACH:  So you were on the phone with him when he passed out?

TORONTO FRIEND:  No.  He was alone.  Are you listening?!  He is all by himself, in his apartment, and likely has a concussion! 

DISPACH:  Please stay calm Ma’am.  So then he called you from what address?  What address did he call you from?

TORONTO FRIEND: He didn’t call me.  He called our friend in the U.S.

DISPACH: So your friend is in the U.S.?

TORONTO FRIEND:  No.  He’s in Manitoba, but he called our actress-friend in America to keep him entertained and awake until his mom could drive him to the doctor!

               Need to stay conscious?  Give me a call and I’ll keep you laughing until you are safe!