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I posted this on facebook earlier, and I thought I'd post it here too:

Don't listen to the media, this country hasn't gone to the dogs just yet. I was on the bus home from uni this afternoon when a woman a few seats in front of me keeled over onto the deck and started going into convulsions - eyes rolled back into her head, the whole bit. Me and 4 other folks on the bus sprang into action, stopped her from swallowing her tongue (it was proper scary, she stopped breathing and we thought she was gonna die) got her into the recovery position and looked after her 'til an ambulance came. It was me, an Asian bus-driver, a couple of Jewish ladies and another woman (who was fantastic, and did most of the life-saving, incidentally) - sounds kinda soppy, but it made me proud to be British that everyone mucked-in to help instead of pretending to read our Metros. Faith in my country: Restored!

Now, I didn't really do all that much, just sort of helped, but I found it really heart-warming that people from such different backgrounds, total strangers, would come together to help another total stranger. Is it weird that it was a surprise to me? Despite what the media would have us believe, altruism still exists and, I think, is overwhelmingly a force for good in an increasingly cynical world.

Do you agree? When was the last time you saw altruism in action?

Well good for you man, even if you werent the center of it all, you helped a stranger. I havnt had anything crazy like that happen to me ever, Ive held doors open for people in wheel chairs/crutches/walkers kindda thing. Helped carry an elder ladies groceries to her car. Helped track a ladies tire that came off and shot off into a field.

My brother the giant OTOH is a living saint I think. He will turn in pop cans, and give the slip to people outside looking through garbage cans, and all kinds of incredibly nice things like that.

Someone having a seizure isn't a fun one, dealt with it once before. I could argue I see it every week at St John when people volunteer to go out and provide first aid cover, same with those who volunteer with other organisations.

They do it for free, spending their own time out looking after others. I have seen and done some things but not to the extent of others.

Edit: Well done for stepping in mate, many people are scared that they will do something wrong and get punished/sued for it. Those who have had no training at all deserve huge respect compared to those who do it with some training (not that they don't deserve lots of respect).

Nothing like that has ever happened to me...
I mean, i help out when something bad happens to someone in public but it's usually been them falling over or something rather than having a fit...

Once again, I didn't really do much, just helped move her and offered a little water etc.

Happens to me alot ever since I joined the scouts. Immedately when the alarm goes off I go in and save kids.

I'm tempted to insert some dark 40k quote here, but I won't :p

But yeah, good of you and the others to help. I need to learn about this recovery position deal -- I'd heard of it before now, but never really gave it much thought...that and other basic first-aid is useful information.

Azza007 wrote:Someone having a seizure isn't a fun one, dealt with it once before. I could argue I see it every week at St John when people volunteer to go out and provide first aid cover, same with those who volunteer with other organisations.

They do it for free, spending their own time out looking after others. I have seen and done some things but not to the extent of others.

Edit: Well done for stepping in mate, many people are scared that they will do something wrong and get punished/sued for it. Those who have had no training at all deserve huge respect compared to those who do it with some training (not that they don't deserve lots of respect).

Tbone gets seizures. He takes serious mind altering stuff for it. Sometimes he stops and just sits, like he's trying to figure out whre the hell he's at. Rusty has had to guide him back from the yard a few times when he does that, as he kind of loses track of his surroundings. Yes, I have a wiener dog thats always just a little out of his mind.

Albatross wrote:Once again, I didn't really do much, just helped move her and offered a little water etc.

See my friend, that's were you couldn't be more dead wrong. Just the act of trying to do something
may encouraged others to act. People seem timid about alot of things, but what surprises me is when it comes
to helping others in distress. I think you helped more than you may have known.

To your over all "people helping others" question, I'm not so optimistic. When I was younger, people where alot
more friendly and outgoing in your neighborhood. Now I feel you're lucky if you know your neighbors first name. And
how people drive has gotten to the point I wish I didn't have to drive 150-350 miles a day. I honestly feel like people
could damn near kill you on the road and care less because "I'm so important and in a hurry, I have to be first!OMG!".

Maybe it takes a life threatening intstance to bring out the best in people.

Nice job. How'd you identify the ladies as being jewish? I'm interested, as I'm pretty sure you're not jewish, and traditionally, only other jews are good at identifying other people as being jewish

Altruism isn't dead, no. There have always been people to step up and do the right thing, I hope.

And sadly there have always been those who would just ignore it and carry on.

I'm sure most of us would like to think we'd stop and help, but would we?

Good job, Albatross


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Samus_aran115 wrote:Nice job. How'd you identify the ladies as being jewish? I'm interested, as I'm pretty sure you're not jewish, and traditionally, only other jews are good at identifying other people as being jewish

Altruism isn't dead, no. There have always been people to step up and do the right thing, I hope.

When my dad was in the Air Force, a guy came up to him and said ,"We Jews have to stick together."
Trouble is, my dad was a Baptist, but I guess he looked Jewish somehow to this guy.

For some reason i thought you were a male nurse Albatross dunno why. It is good to do your 'bit' every once in a while, i only wish i knew what i was doing first aid wise.

Last nice thing i did was pull my friends trousers up when he was KO'd from drink. Even though him passed out with his bare ass bared to the world was hilarious.

You're a normal, rational human being, congrats.

Samus_aran115 wrote:Nice job. How'd you identify the ladies as being jewish? I'm interested, as I'm pretty sure you're not jewish, and traditionally, only other jews are good at identifying other people as being jewish

It came up in conversation during the incident.

Ronin-Sage wrote:I'm tempted to insert some dark 40k quote here, but I won't :p

But yeah, good of you and the others to help. I need to learn about this recovery position deal -- I'd heard of it before now, but never really gave it much thought...that and other basic first-aid is useful information.

Its relatively simple and easy to do, the basics is that you get them into the lucozade man position, so on their side, knee furthest from you at right angle, one arm out, and hand closest protecting face, make sure empty pockets and airway is opened after rolling. Also take off glasses and put them in safe place by them.

http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/first-aid-advice/unconscious-but-breathing.aspx

Here you go, shouldn't be too hard to fins some local classes in your area if you want to learn.

I'm actually rather proud of Australia's ability to recover from disaster as a community. We recently had another punch to the gut after a flood came through most of queensland for the second time in over a year. During the first major flood during the Christmas holidays a "Mud Army" was created. Basically was I think around ten thousand ordinary civilians came to help out, and most of these people came from all around Oz just to help out.

However like every other country we have the dodgy side of society. Like the insurance companies not covering disaster stricken people and the minority who decided to loot (who were publicly named and shamed).

I was also at the Victorian firestorm that swept through in 2009. You'd be amazed at daily acts of heroics by regular people. Good friend found a 12 year old girl completely covered in burns in a car nearly melted to the ground. Managed to perform CPR even though he had no clue what he was doing however she was revived before the ambulance arrived. He even stayed with her all the way to the hospital comforting her, unfortunately she didn't make it.
However every small thing you do when helping someone can go a very long way.

Albatross wrote:Do you agree? When was the last time you saw altruism in action?

I do agree.

The last time I saw it in action was when a woman collapsed at the bus stop on a Sunday around December, and her husband and me helped her up, sat her down and generally made sure she was okay. She collapsed again and the couple next to use stared on, the guy asking if she was okay but doing nothing else, and another woman at the bus stop who looked like a nurse (the hospital was just down the road, although it is Stepping Hill, so i'm not only surprised that she didn't help, but sort of glad she didn't) who'd just got off her shift and been to Sainsburies before they shut stood there on her mobile and ignored it.

I sat with her whilst her husband called a taxi, and made sure they had a route home (I didn't know a taxi had been called at the time, but they told me then) before getting on the bus.

About a year and a half ago, I was on a plane to Puerto Rico. As we were over the Atlantic, the woman in the seat in front of me had some issue (to this day I'm not sure what). She was conscious, but was very groggy and wasn't able to form coherent sentences.

Fortunately, a few passengers were medical personnel (1 doctor and 2 nurses). They took her pulse and stuff, and gave her some glycerine, so I assume it was a heart thing. Because I was sitting behind her, I ended up holding the oxygen canister while the plane made an emergency, overweight landing in South Carolina.

Because we landed so hard (because we were overweight, and the airport was so small), we had to have quite a bit of maintenance done before we could take off again. So, we were ~400 people crammed in this super-small airport for 4 hours or so. Yet, the level of complaining was really small, and the concern shown was impressive. I was surprised at how understanding everyone was.

Presumably everyone the OP knows is a sociopath.
Helping people out = standard human behavior.

Grakmar wrote:About a year and a half ago, I was on a plane to Puerto Rico. As we were over the Atlantic, the woman in the seat in front of me had some issue (to this day I'm not sure what). She was conscious, but was very groggy and wasn't able to form coherent sentences.

Fortunately, a few passengers were medical personnel (1 doctor and 2 nurses). They took her pulse and stuff, and gave her some glycerine, so I assume it was a heart thing. Because I was sitting behind her, I ended up holding the oxygen canister while the plane made an emergency, overweight landing in South Carolina.

Because we landed so hard (because we were overweight, and the airport was so small), we had to have quite a bit of maintenance done before we could take off again. So, we were ~400 people crammed in this super-small airport for 4 hours or so. Yet, the level of complaining was really small, and the concern shown was impressive. I was surprised at how understanding everyone was.

Sounds like a hypoglycaemic attack to me, low blood sugar. Quite dangerous if left untreated yet easy to solve in most cases.

Albatross wrote:
Do you agree? When was the last time you saw altruism in action?

Good for you and those that helped. Way to not suck!

I always stop and ask if I can help at the scene of a medical emergency, its in my nature.

Unless the Emergency service are there, then I get out the way as quickly as possible.

I dont really mind the people who ignore emergencies, I hate those who stand and watch, its why I move on if I cannot help, I dont want to hang around and be counted amongst the ghouls.

Joey wrote:Presumably everyone knows the OP is a sociopath.
Helping people out = standard human behavior.

Fixed that for you.

The last time I stopped to help someone (heard a woman screaming at 1am from a side road) I got a punch in the head by a bloke after asking a couple if they were alright/had heard it as well.

He got a trip to the hospital.

Well I found it heart warming.

It's always good to do a good deed. Helping out your fellow man, is always commendable in a situation like htat.

As a note, it's impossible to swallow your own tongue, unless you were to bite it off.

Sasori wrote:It's always good to do a good deed. Helping out your fellow man, is always commendable in a situation like htat.

As a note, it's impossible to swallow your own tongue, unless you were to bite it off.

You can choke on it though, right? She seemed to be choking on something...

Albatross wrote:
You can choke on it though, right? She seemed to be choking on something...

....Probably the price of the megarider

Albatross wrote:

Samus_aran115 wrote:Nice job. How'd you identify the ladies as being jewish? I'm interested, as I'm pretty sure you're not jewish, and traditionally, only other jews are good at identifying other people as being jewish

It came up in conversation during the incident.

Ah, I see. Nice job regardless

Albatross wrote:

Sasori wrote:It's always good to do a good deed. Helping out your fellow man, is always commendable in a situation like htat.

As a note, it's impossible to swallow your own tongue, unless you were to bite it off.

You can choke on it though, right? She seemed to be choking on something...

Fluids tend to be what people choke on when having a seizure, but it is possible for the tongue to block the airway, but that's pretty rare. The recovery position helps with all of those things.