Dollaramma Drama

Forgot to tell you about this little incident that happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I visited one of the dollar stores here in Brampton.

Warning: If you're queasy, uneasy, or easily grossed out, you may not want to continue reading.

I get off work earlier than Jamie and we were meeting each other to drive away in our new SUV. So while waiting for him I decided to go to the dollar store and scout out the scrappin supplies and shop for Operation Christmas Child.

Jamie called, I was checking out and I told him I would be just a couple of minutes. As I'm leaving, about to walk through the out door, an older lady is coming through the IN door. Suddenly, she trips on the ledge just inside the door, falls forward into the little porch area, and hits her head on the sharp STEEL facing of the second door entering the main store. OUCH! She immediately gets up on her knees and puts her hand to her upper left forehead. I say "Are you ok?" and then crouch down next to her.

I tell the cashier she needs to call 911...she's looking at me like I'm a dummy and so I raise my voice for emphasis, "YOU NEED TO CALL 911!". Cashier girl still dilly-dallies, probably worried about the impatient customers in line, and instead calls for her manager.

I look back at the lady and she pulls her hand away from her forehead. She's wondering if she's bleeding. Of course she is! Majorly bleeding! Blood has been oozing through her fingers and now it's dripping down her arm and onto her coat. I look at her forehead (this is a gross part for those of you who didn't listen to my previous warning) and there's a gash from her left temple going above her eye and ending mid-hairline. The skin is broken and peeled back exposing the white bone underneath. Poor little spanish lady...all she can say in English at this point..."Oh MY GOD! Oh MY GOD!"...she keeps talking to me pointing to the place where she tripped, "No good! Oh MY GOD, I trip...no good" and I nod at say "I know...it's ok." I grab for the new facecloths I just purchased and help her hold them to her head. Now there's blood on my hands too.

Manager shows up in between here - keep in mind this is really only a minute passing - and she sees I'm serious about the 911 thing as this lady is really hurt. She's talking to the operator, telling what happened, telling her the woman's age (66), asking me if she had been unconscious at any point, etc. She hangs up. She gets me another cloth and latex gloves - too late for the gloves I'm afraid...what's a girl to do? Say, "Sorry lady, no gloves, can't help you"...I coudn't! In that moment, it didn't even cross my mind.

The lady who's hurt says "My husband" and I assumed he must have been parking and coming behind her. He was. He walks in the door - a full 4 ft. of him, I'm almost as tall as he is and I'm kneeling down. But he's MAD as a bull...I'm looking at him in complete amazement as he throws down his hat, starts yelling at his wife in spanish, then saying in English, "I don't believe this!". I get that he's frustrated...maybe she's super clumsy or something...I can tell she's trying to explain but not making much of an impact on his lack of concern. And that's when I said, "No sir, you don't understand. She tripped, it's not her fault." That's when she shows him the laceration, he suddenly shuts up and becomes loving husband and helps her hold her hand to her head. He doesn't say much else but the occasional translation to me of what she's trying to say, asking if she's okay, I can tell he's feeling really bad about his prior outburst - he should be.

I'm just kneeling and waiting, telling her "It's ok", asking if she feels okay, if she feels sick, reminding her to keep pressure on her head and then I hear the sirens. Thank God! The ambulance was fast!

EMT's ask me what happened, ask if she had passed out at any time, if she's had any seizure activity - nothing. They ask her husband about her medical history. I ask them if they need me for anything further. We're all in a tiny porch and there must be nothing worse for EMT's trying to do their work to help someone while being crowded by unimportant spectators. They tell me I can go. The Dollaramma lady takes my name and number just in case. The spanish lady pulls at my jacket tail and keeps saying, "Thank you! Thank you!" I give her a quick hug and send out a little prayer. She's in good hands now.

I walk away. I'm worried the rest of the night about this lady but I leave her in Gods hands knowing he's the best caretaker there is.

I'm reminded that God uses us all sometimes when we are available for him. I wasn't even planning to go to this specific dollar store but there I was. I've been in similar situations as this. Blood/medical stuff doesn't bother me. God knows this. Maybe this is how he uses me from time to time - to help a little old lady with her head cut open in the dollar store. Maybe it's insignifant in the broad scheme of things but I still feel good. I hope Spanish lady feels good too.