A Miracle

I was doing some internet searching tonight and wound up looking at various news stories about a facility I used to work at, the Oakridge Home for developmentally disabled adults. I worked there, as a DCS (Direct Care Staff), in 1995-1997, and it was where I first obtained the experience with mentally challenged people that led to my current employment situation as an HTS (Habilitation Training Specialist).
I was surprised to stumble across the following story, and I knew Betty Blackwood and Sharlene Nichols very well. Check it out...

Heart beats again in woman pronounced dead
By Mike Baird
SNS Contributing Writer
The Wewoka Times

It seems a miracle has occurred in Wewoka. At the very least the power of prayer from a special group of people has had an uncanny coincidence with a real life experience. The story begins in the words of Wewoka Fire Department's Captain Kevin Green who was one of the people who played a heroic role in the "heart beat" of this special moment.

------

Captain Green says the call came in about 6 p.m. on Sunday April 29. A resident at Oakridge Nursing Home was choking. His review of the events follows:

"Myself and Jeff Seeley responded to the call. Our response time was only about one minute.

"When we arrived four nurses were performing CPR on a lady in her early sixties.

"I asked them to continue while we got set up, then we took over the chest compressions. We used our portable suction to clean the airway, we determined she was choked on mashed potatoes.

"I knew our time was getting thin so we had to hurry up and go. I had one of the nurses get a backboard and put it between me and the patient. We rolled her over and put her on the board-lifted her to the cot; we did CPR all the way to the back of the truck. One of the nurses asked if she could come with us, I said sure, that'd help me out a lot.

"When we got her into the back of the truck, Jeff turned on the oxygen. I hooked the bag up to the oxygen. I had the nurse keep doing CPR while I got the AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) ready. As soon as I got it ready, I attached the leads to her, it went to analyze mode, no heart-rhythm was found, we continued CPR.

"Every time it would analyze we would stop to let it get a correct rhythm reading, once it said, 'If no rhythm continue CPR.' We did that until we got about 5 minutes out, I knew ALS (Advanced Life Support) needed to be put in.

"We called on the radio--called code blue (CPR in process.) They had all the tools out when we arrived--the meds (intravenous medications), intubation kits, everything was ready.

"As soon as we got her onto the cot at the hospital we assisted the nursing staff with the ALS resuscitation efforts. The doctor put an ET (endotracheal tube) tube in her, checked for placement, good placement-put her on the bag. Two nurses, one on each arm, started IV's hooking up drip sets, IV solutions, and as the doctor called them they pushed the meds.

"We worked on her - they asked me if I needed a break - I was soaking wet. I said, 'Yes I do.' They had quite a few people on standby that came in to bag for me and continue compressions. I turned to start my reports.

"I had nothing, no name, no age, and no social security numbers. I had no medical history, allergies, nothing to give to the doctor other than she was a sixties female that choked.

"I tried to get this information from the hospital admissions staff; she had been there about five years ago on another call, all they had was a birth date.

"They did stop CPR to check the heart monitor, for the doctor to check for a heartbeat, and nothing was found.

"After what seemed like forever, they decided this was it. She was pronounced dead. It was about 6:30 p.m.

"As I unhooked the bag and began eliminating the disposable equipment we had used, one of the nurses said, 'Look.'

"You could see just a little bit of flutter in her chest, which was bare.

"I turned around and looked at the monitor-it started going a little bit crazy-and before you know it there was a normal rhythm. The doctor looked at it in disbelief. The nursing staff was amazed.

"I've been an EMT since 1993, and I couldn't believe that someone that was flat-lined with no color and no response to pain--just all of a sudden had a beat, then a good pulse. We checked her blood pressure, it was coming up.

"Everybody just started smiling, and someone said, 'Hey, she's not breathing on her own.'

"I started grabbing everything I had thrown away and started hooking her back up. Got the suction-suctioned her out, bagged her, and they called for a portable ventilator.

"As they were doing that they were deciding whether to call for Mediflight or to have Hughes County EMS transport her to Presbyterian Hospital. When I last went in there she had a good strong pulse, reasonable blood pressure, except she wasn't breathing on her own-but her color was coming back. She had been dead-and now was alive."

------

Betty Blackwood has no family. She is 64, non-hearing, non-verbal and diagnosed with severe mental retardation.

She has some very special friends in the 112 residents that live with her at Oakridge Nursing Home. All of them are developmentally challenged.

Blackwood has been there since Jan. 4, 1983. She came from Konawa.

Here's where the story becomes miraculous.

Ten of Blackwood's co-residents are faithful members of the Pentecostal Holiness New Life Church at 121 W. 12th in Wewoka.

They attend church every Wednesday and Sunday night. This particular Sunday evening the church was having a special recognition service to honor those who "hazard their lives for our safety," said Minister Gary Palmeri.

The Oakridge group sits in the front pew in the sanctuary. The following is Palmeri's account of what happened:

"I was getting ready to take testimonies and prayer requests. It usually is about 20 minutes into our service. The Oakridge group is very faithful. They never miss attending. They are our special people-they have childlike faith.

"Sharlene Nichols stood up before I made prayer requests and demanded, 'Preacher you must pray for our friend.' She put her hands around her throat and said, 'She is choking.'

"The rest of the Oakridge group stood and started moving toward me saying, 'Preacher, yes, you need to pray for our friend.'

"They were very upset, almost rushing the altar. It was a very intense moment. I had the congregation stand and we prayed. I joined the Oakridge group, who was already standing and very unsettled. We joined hands and all prayed in unison. It must have been right about 6:30."

------

Although Blackwood remains unconscious, doctors have been marveling that she does have brain activity and told Parsons they are very hopeful. She was anticipated to have no brainwaves, but when tested showed otherwise.

Rev. Palmeri says that there have been a number of people at the church testify that the power of the groups prayer has helped their health, blood sugar, even financial woes.

"I didn't know anything about this woman, her circumstances, and certainly didn't know that she lived after being pronounced dead at the very time we were praying for her," said Palmeri. "I've got chills just knowing it now. I have to call it a miracle."

An interesting twist to the story is that Wewoka Fire Department's Captain Fletcher Hulsey was on hand at the church at the time of the prayer experience.

"I'm always one of the first ones to give God credit," he said. "Man can only do what he's trained to do. The gift of life comes from God."

I just had to share that...