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Real Life Stories! |
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Dear Michelle and Mary,
Jody thought you might want to hear about something that happened
on my way to school about a year ago. On a cold and snowy day
last January, I was driving my first-grader back to school after
lunch. As I approached a stop sign just across the street from
school, I noticed a little boy lying face down on the sidewalk
in the snow. The crossing guard continued to help students across
the street while this little guy remained motionless and alone!
I quickly pulled the car over and asked the guard what had happened.
She didn't know why he had collapsed, but indicated he had not
been struck by a car, and an ambulance was on its way. The principal
and school nurse quickly arrived with a blanket as other parents
joined the scene, but those few minutes waiting for the paramedics
seemed endless. It is frightening to think no one knew who this
child was! No one recognized the bundled up little boy, who
was unable to speak his name. I imagined his parents going about
their daily life at work, never imagining their child was out
in the cold, clearly in need of medical attention. My thoughts
raced as I thought: Does he need seizure medicine? Does he have
a weak heart? Did he slip on the ice? etc. An ambulance arrived
and took him to the hospital, and I never heard further details
-- only that he had collapsed with pain and was having trouble
breathing. Needless to say, this shook us up a bit, and it was
difficult to drop my own son at school for a few days. We assume
our children will remain safe and healthy en route to school,
but in reality, they are alone and vulnerable for periods of
time every day. So it makes sense that we should always send
medical and other vital information with our kids to help emergency
personnel and others better care for them, just in case they
need it. Feel free to use this personal account in conjunction
with more about me, and I hope it will increase awareness of
how we can make an unfortunately situation a little better.
- Sincerely, Michele Ranard |
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