afraid to die?

I guess I have been close to my own death, but I don't really consider the experiences significant. I have been in a few serious car accidents, and I got Spinal Meningitis when I was younger.

Spinal Meningitis can be fatal, depending on the form of the illness. They do tests, and for a few days you don't know if you have the incurable type, or the other. For about a week I was paralyzed from the neck down. I couldn't eat or drink anything, and I remember having to be carried to the bathroom. It must have been a terrible experience for my family. I wasn't scared, but I was young, and I don't think anyone ever explained the gravity of the situation to me.

The one time I have been truly scared of death was when my 1-year old niece fell into the pool and drowned. I was awoken by my brother who told me to get up quickly. In a daze, I stumbled outside to find my sister holding her daughter lifeless in her arms, while crying and screaming hysterically. She was blue, wet, and very cold -- it was Christmas eve. I performed CPR on her, and she started to breathe again. It was the most irregular and unnatural breathing I have ever heard. Moments later, the ambulance arrived, and scooped her up and took her to the hospital. She recovered, and to this day there are no affects, but I will never forget that day. It was, by far, the scariest day of my life.

That's an amazing story, I'm glad she's okay. I'm really sorry you had to go through that, but I think it's an incredibly story you two will be able to share. I'm sure you guys have a special connection as it is, and this further emboldened your relationship.

A similar story happened with my three year old cousin, (I wasn't there) but I remember being roused by my hysterical sister saying John had drowned. Unfortunately he wasn't as lucky as your niece, and to this day it's been hard to find any kind of answers from that incident. Of all the trauma I've ever been through (and it's been a substantial amount) that has hit me the hardest.

It's so cliche, but I continually doubted that a God would let something like this happen. It just didn't make sense... but neither does life.

That incident kind of re-defined my life. It was the point in time that I realized that everyone, no matter the case, will be affected by tragedy at some point in time. There will not be a happily ever after story... and our personal ability to roll with those punches help define the kind of people we become, and help those looking up to us understand this same concept.

Wow Ghetto. That's quite a story. Awesome that you basically saved your niece's life by performing CPR.

This Bud's for you

I guess I have been close to my own death, but I don't really consider the experiences significant. I have been in a few serious car accidents, and I got Spinal Meningitis when I was younger.

Spinal Meningitis can be fatal, depending on the form of the illness. They do tests, and for a few days you don't know if you have the incurable type, or the other. For about a week I was paralyzed from the neck down. I couldn't eat or drink anything, and I remember having to be carried to the bathroom. It must have been a terrible experience for my family. I wasn't scared, but I was young, and I don't think anyone ever explained the gravity of the situation to me.

The one time I have been truly scared of death was when my 1-year old niece fell into the pool and drowned. I was awoken by my brother who told me to get up quickly. In a daze, I stumbled outside to find my sister holding her daughter lifeless in her arms, while crying and screaming hysterically. She was blue, wet, and very cold -- it was Christmas eve. I performed CPR on her, and she started to breathe again. It was the most irregular and unnatural breathing I have ever heard. Moments later, the ambulance arrived, and scooped her up and took her to the hospital. She recovered, and to this day there are no affects, but I will never forget that day. It was, by far, the scariest day of my life.

Wow, saving someone's life is truly awesome, but saving a child's life is flat out heroic. As she grows up, watch the person she becomes, because were it not for you, none of it would be possible.

Honestly, you're the man, Ghetto. Well done.

Thanks everyone. I can't take too much credit for saving her life though, and I feel really humbled when people suggest I deserve some. If it weren't for the paramedics and the hospital workers, I doubt my actions would have made any difference. Also, I don't really think I did anything special -- CPR is fairly simple. I'm not certified, I just read some things in a book before. It just happened to work. I don't consider myself a hero at all -- just very lucky. All in all, I'm just happy for my sister. Her daughter is her life, and I feel terrible when I think about how it would have affected her, if her daughter had not survived.

Thanks everyone. I can't take too much credit for saving her life though, and I feel really humbled when people suggest I deserve some. If it weren't for the paramedics and the hospital workers, I doubt my actions would have made any difference. Also, I don't really think I did anything special -- CPR is fairly simple. I'm not certified, I just read some things in a book before. It just happened to work. I don't consider myself a hero at all -- just very lucky. All in all, I'm just happy for my sister. Her daughter is her life, and I feel terrible when I think about how it would have affected her, if her daughter had not survived.

The docs and paramedics and nurses definitely had a hand in it, but they'd all tell you that without CPR she'd have been DOA.

It may have seemed like nothing, but bottom line is you acted. Props.

Mad props Ghetto for keeping your nephew going until help arrived. You might be surprised how many people will freak out and not act in that situation. You defiantly did a great thing.


The closest I think I have come to death is when I was little I was running around sucking on a penny. (Don’t ask me why, I don’t know.) But any way I tripped and it got lodged in my throat. While gasping for air I was able to run down the hall to my Dads studio. Because I couldn’t talk with the penny stuck in my throat I started banging on his door. All I remember is getting dizzy and my dad grabbing me by the legs and violently shaking me up side down. The penny fell to the floor and luckily I was ok. Every now and then I think of what would have happened that day if my Dad hadn’t been there to shake the penny out of my throat. It's obvious to me I would have died like a lot of other poor kids that were left alone at the wrong minute. I was probably in preschool or kindergarten at the time so I really didn’t get scared of dieing. But thinking back on it makes me thankful that I wasn't home alone and have been able to live the life I've had. It would have really sucked to die that young. I mean come on the redskins hadn’t even won a S.B yet!

On another note.

I worked as a paid call fireman for 3 years is San Luis Obispo and saw my share of fatal car accidents, overdoses and old people die. I never got used to seeing dead people I can still picture them all. While it was rewarding to give CPR or help someone out of a really bad situation there were times there was nothing we could do but just pray for them. I must say it really drove home how fragile life can be. Sometimes what may seem to be really small meaningless decisions at the time will have an everlasting impact on our lives. Not to mention the life’s of everyone around us.
I must say it’s helped me love life and most everything that comes with it. It may sound like a cliché but I try as much as I can to slow down and “smell the roses” tell family I love them our just hug my dog. Because you really never know when it might just be your last chance.

Ghetto, that's a truly incredible story. Don't sell yourself short because you did a great thing!

I don't think I've ever been all that close to death, but I had to give myself the Heimlic maneuver a few years back. I was taking two Advils at the same time, like an idiot. They were those round chalky kind, and they got stuck together when I tried to swallow them; then they sort of turned in my throat and I couldn't breath.
I starting freaking out until I remembered what my mom once told me to do if I was choking and alone, she used to teach CPR classes but I never took one. Anyways, she said that you put both hands together on either the back of a chair or a counter top and then you sort of thrust yourself into them.
It just took one hit to dislodge the pills and I spit them out across the kitchen. It wasn't that big of a deal in the end.

I also fell over the handrail in the basement and cracked my skull on the concrete when I was 3. I'm sure I was probably pretty out of it then, but I don't remember that Thanksgiving (that's right, I ruined turkey for everyone that year).

I had a gun pulled on me once during a robbery about seven years ago. The guy wanted my wallet and I told him there was no money in it. He pulled the trigger and the gun misfired. I'm not sure who was more surprised but I guess I recovered a little faster and ran away before he tried anything else. I haven't taken a single day for granted ever since.