Freddogg Off The Chain

Who ever said “life is cheap” never walked in my flip flops. Back in the summer of 1977 I was a Rehoboth Beach Lifeguard sitting on a single stand on Norfolk Street, a neighborhood I could barely afford to walk through let alone purchase property.

The mid summer day was close enough to perfect for me and there was a little wave action but not much. I watched the ocean because that was my job and it’s weird but with 300 heads bobbing around there was no chance I would lose sight of them. A trained guard notices what is different, it jumps up and screams at you. Sameness means safety but my peacefulness was interrupted by frantic cries of “Lifeguard! Lifeguard!”

I raced down to the wet sand and there was a grand mom in white bathing cap just lying unresponsive face up in the froth. I pulled her away from the water making sure to keep her head facing downhill. I told another guard to call 911 and went through the check down system to see if she was breathing. A crowd gathered around.

I detected no breath and felt to pulse. I sweeped my figures inside her mouth and her dentures came out. I threw them over my shoulder and some tourists chased them like a retriever on a tennis ball. I was jacked, adrenaline pumping, this life belonged to me and I was bringing it back from the horizon line of permanent departure. “No dying today, not on my beach!”

It was a time in my life when people were dropping dead near me and I was first responder dude. There is a difference between cardiac and repertory arrest but as a physician friend explained to me, the end result is still “way dead.” This woman was my fourth ‘bring em back alive" action in two years. One other guy came back who crashed his car right across from a hospital. I was assisted by an emergency room nurse and we got him back. I later ran into the old guy and he ducked down another KMart aisle figuring I was the blue light reaper.

Back on Norfolk Street Ester and I were getting friendly. I blew two breaths into her then straddled her body to do chest compressions. A person in the crowd flashed a CPR card and said, ”I’m certified. May I render assistance “back off bitch” was uncalled for but anyone carrying a card and “rendering assistance” wasn’t going to help me in a crises.

I blew more breaths, remounted Ester and practically drove her to China with force full compressions. I did that because on a rescue that didn’t succeed that was a criticism that big strong guys are afraid to push too hard. I heard a person say, ”If she ain’t dead she will be by the time this guys gets done killing her.”

Easter’s eyes came back from the top of her head and clicked into focus. I stayed where I was and offered reassurance, told her my name and that she was o.k. It is a god like feeling no question about it.

The rescue crew arrived and almost dropped her out of the stretcher on the trek across the soft sand to the ambulance.

That early evening I went over to the hospital to see if she made it. An actual real Doctor came out to see me. “She’s resting fine. You saved her life. I’m sure she would agree it’s worth three cracked ribs.”

The next day her family came to see me on my stand. They handed me an envelope and thanked me for saving their mother/grandmother. I was still flying after Ester’s reentry from the dark side and I could have cared less about money, in fact, the actual resuscitation itself was never shared with the overall Beach Patrol.

I waited until I got home and asked my wife how much a life was worth on an expensive beach? We both knew that life is priceless but we were curious what Ester’s family thought it was worth.

I opened up the white envelope and pulled out a five dollar bill. A note read, ”Thanks for saving mom’s life we will never forget you. Go and buy yourself a six pack.”

And that’s what I did and I savored every gulp and guzzle of life’s good fortune.

Peace Freddogg