Saving a life

when you are not a doctor must be a rather extraordinary experience. Even just helping to save one must surely make the person or persons responsible feel something positive. 

I am wondering about this for two reasons. One is that Middle Cat is back in hospital.  There is no need for panic. She is going to be okay. My doctor nephew, who is staying with his parents at present, was actually at home at the time. He dealt with the situation. It made him rather late for work but his boss was very understanding. It might not have been "life-saving" as such but it did mean that Middle Cat was not left lying on the floor for some hours.  I thought about people in life-saving situations. I have dealt with a few medical situations but never a life and death one.

Of course the Senior Cat is worried. When I managed to get the energy together (post-Covid19 jab number two reaction) I went to see him. He was lying down and said, "I'm okay - just didn't sleep much last night. I knew why. He was worried. I can understand that.

The other reason for wondering about this is the good news story in the paper this morning.  A young woman with Down Syndrome has Covid19.  She is apparently twenty-two and still a lover of  "the Wiggles". The story is about how they were called on to help when she didn't want to use oxygen, the oxygen which would help to save her life. They stepped in and made a special video clip for her to show her how it was done. She is now recovering.

I know there will be people who will say, "Why did they bother? She's retarded. She isn't a contributing member of society."

Stop right there. That young woman may not be a nuclear physicist but she is a contributing member of society. The photograph shows someone who is smiling, for whom that gesture is something very special indeed. She may not be able to express it in words but her absolute delight is there in her expression. She has given as much back as has been given to her. 

Within her own family, for all the many problems there must be, she is almost certainly a very affectionate girl. It is something many people will find hard to understand but I have no doubt that her family loves her. Why else would they go to those lengths to get help for her? 

When I was first at university I heard one of the research staff talking about her work observing children in institutions. She made the point that these apparently unloved children were actually loved - loved by someone. It was what gave purpose to their lives and the lives of other people - and it might actually save lives too.