Have you ever been in a situation such as an accident that made you feel like you were about to die? Are you a medical practitioner who has handled a medical emergency case? Have you ever had a friend or relatives who were in situations that were declared medical emergencies?  There are various lessons you can learn from those situations and some of them are outlined below;

One second can make a huge difference

You might not value a second and you might feel that it is too minute to make a difference until a doctor tells you “I am sorry we lost the patient he was just brought in some minutes late” or “the patient is now stable, he might not have made it if you brought him in ten seconds later.” In a medical emergency, you cannot afford to waste time because every second draws the line between life and death.

An example of someone involved in an accident, they get unconscious, and before medical help arrives performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on them is critical to saving their lives. The few minutes before an ambulance arrives are critical in determining their chance of survival hence the immediate first aid given is essential to give them a chance of survival even where there was none. 

If you view life with such urgency you find out that there is no room for you in the comfort zone. You will understand to value time and appreciate every moment spent. Whether it is time spent with your family, time spent with your colleagues at work, or even moments spent in school learning, you appreciate and treasure those moments.

Life is not a rehearsal

When a patient is rushed to the emergency room, the medical practitioners understand the seriousness of the matter and the responsibility they bear for doing their best to save the patient. Health workers who have never been in an emergency room and with no prior experience and any idea of what happens cannot be in charge of trying to save the patient because an emergency room is no room for mistakes. You always find the most experienced doctors handling such cases so that they can easily diagnose the problem and make a critical decision without forgetting that time is of the essence. An inexperienced medic may waste plenty of time trying to diagnose the case then hesitate in decision making while in other cases they may misdiagnose the patient which is fatal.

Similarly, you need to understand that life is not a rehearsal hence you need to live it to the fullest and ensure you accomplish your mission on this earth. You may be holding a grudge against somebody just because they offended or hurt you in a certain manner. It could be a spouse who broke your trust and cheated on you making you feel worthless and you are still bitter, it could be a parent who abandoned you and you have never forgiven them, it could be a teacher you think graded you unfairly and you still think about it and it could even be a friend you trusted with your secrets but they let the cat out of the bag and you have never forgotten how people scorned you and laughed at you.

Today you are reminded that life is not a rehearsal so let go of that hatred and bitterness then begin to live. Imagine if you died with all that bitterness but you leave the people who brought you pain enjoying life and with no memory of hurting you?

Give your best shot

In a medical emergency, you find out that a doctor could even perform a five-hour surgery with no breaks to save the patient. They might have been leaving the hospital when an emergency happens and they are forced to leave everything they were doing and prepare to rescue the patient. A doctor could be home with their family when a call about a medical emergency is made and they have to leave everything behind and rush to the hospital.

A story is told of a couple who had a daughter who needed immediate medical attention and upon taking her to the hospital they were made to wait for the doctor who was to attend to her. Even without waiting long, they kept complaining about how negligent the doctor was for him not being at the hospital. The doctor came running and rushed to the emergency room which was ready for the surgery to begin and after an hour he came out to give the results to the girl’s parents.

However, the girl’s patient complained how late he was and lacked courtesy for not even greeting them when he came rushing to the hospital past them. The doctor kept quiet while they hurled insults at him and when they were done he said in a calm voice “I am sorry for keeping you waiting, your daughter is now fine.” After that, he immediately left running past them.

Unable to understand this behavior, the parents went to report and inquire from his boss on why they would allow such a doctor. However, the boss told them “You see, that doctor is on leave but he rushed here immediately we called him since he is a specialist in your daughter’s condition. We wanted his juniors to proceed with the surgery but he could not take any chances. He ran past you without a word to ensure no time is unnecessarily lost that could affect your daughter’s chance of survival.

And after the surgery, he ran back to continue with the funeral ceremony of his daughter whom he lost a week ago and left midway to come to save your daughter.” Imagine the embarrassment and guilt the couple felt! In life, just do your best without leaving any stones unturned.

Today your angel wishes that you celebrate, cherish and appreciate all medical practitioners who are always the uncelebrated heroes because they make the universe bright with their magic souls. As you pray, remember to pray for them that they may be protected and gather the strength to face the obstacles that come their way. As you make your wishes, make a wish for them that the universe may be kind to them.