We knew, by looking at the schedule, that yesterday would bring a heavy workload—three cottages and three rooms to be cleaned, three rooms to be serviced, the common areas to be dusted and vacuumed plus mountains of laundry to be washed, dried, folded and put away. Earlier in the week, we volunteered for check-in duty, manning the registration desk from 3-8, because that would be a good opportunity to do our personal laundry.
We completed our housekeeping duties at 12:30; however, before we could return to the RV for lunch, showers and time to relax, the owner informed us that she had OK’d an early check-in, expected between 1:00 and 2:00. Fred stayed at the inn while I ran home to shower then we traded places. Our ‘early check-in’ drifted in at 5:15 (forced smile) and the other new guests appeared by 8:00. Tired and hungry, we loaded the Jeep with our clean clothes and headed up the lane to ‘home.’
Less than 10 minutes later, a guest called, saying her husband was having a medical emergency; could we please get help for him? We dialed 911 and drove back to the inn.
Bob, her 73-year old husband, was propped up on the sofa in the common area animatedly telling two couples what happened: he and his wife were having wine on the deck when his speech became garbled and his right side got weak.
Less than ten minutes after the 911 call, EMTs* arrived followed by the ambulance and its crew. They took his blood pressure, tested his blood sugar, did an EKG, administered a battery of quick-and-dirty stroke screenings and determined he needed to be examined more thoroughly at the nearest hospital, 30 miles away in Panguitch.
His wife was understandably upset and flustered. She wanted to be with him but she was frightened to drive to the hospital in the dark because she’d never seen the route or driven her husband’s SUV. We volunteered to have Fred drive her in their vehicle and me follow in the Jeep--she could stay with her husband and Fred would have a way home.
The hospital staff attended to Bob immediately. In less than 45 minutes, the doctor was able to tell us Bob suffered a TIA or mini-stroke and needed to be observed for the next 12 hours. Bob stayed in the hospital, Fred and Bernie in the SUV and I in the Jeep returned to Stone Canyon
*[When Dixie had told us that everyone in Tropic is an EMT, I thought she was exaggerating. If she was, it wasn’t by much! At least a dozen people responded to the emergency. We were impressed by and appreciative of their calm, compassionate and competent treatment of a couple in an unfamiliar place among strangers who were thrust into a frightening situation.]
