911 angel

This is a letter I wrote to the 911 operator who courageously instructed me on how to perform CPR on my dying husband when he suffered sudden cardiac death in 1995. Together, we saved his life. Years later, her own husband, a fire fighter, died in his sleep -- a cruel twist of irony and one that I puzzle over from time to time.

Dear Linda,

Your life's work is helping people. As a dispatcher for the fire department, you are the person responsible for saving lives and property. Because of your experience, training, and calm, assured manner on the phone, 911 callers get the help they need. You and your colleagues are truly heroes of our society.

My husband and I are just two people who have benefited from your quick actions -- actions that once saved his life -- but I know there are thousands of other people like us, who have been aided by you, who haven't thanked you. You may remember that you were the 911 operator who answered my call for help. You instructed me over the phone on how to administer CPR to my dying husband after I found him in full cardiac arrest. The response team you summoned came within a few minutes, used a defibrillator on him, administered oxygen, and packed him off to the hospital. Although he narrowly escaped death, he fully recovered, and that one event changed us both. We are grateful for every day we have together.

We had the pleasure of meeting you several months later, when you and your colleagues were recognized for the quick actions that saved my husband's life. Although we only spent a short time together that day, I have often thought about the ceremony and tour of the dispatching center and fire station, and how impressed we were with your caring, kind, and self-effacing manner. We often think of you and of the team from our local fire station.

You and your colleagues perform heroic deeds as a matter of course in your work. And we, the protected citizens, have come to depend on the fact that you'll always be there for us if we need you. We forget that you are just like us -- a person with a life and a family, someone who experiences pain and necessity, someone who is human and sometimes even vulnerable. I was thinking along those lines when I recently read the newspaper article about a firefighter who died of heart failure. As I progressed through the article, I suddenly realized that this heroic firefighter I was reading about was your husband.

How ironic, how terribly perplexing life's twists and turns can be. My husband and I lingered silently over that article, wondering how we could possibly help. I wish I could have been there for you, like you were for me. I wish there was something I could say or do that would lessen your suffering. I wish I could give you comfort and relieve the pain you must be feeling, but I know that will come only with the passing of time.

We hope you'll continue on with good memories and the knowledge that your husband and you saved many lives and brought joy and relief to strangers in need. We want you to know that we are thinking of your husband's noteworthy, heroic life, and others like him, with grateful hearts. And we think of you. Your life and your wellbeing are important to us. We wish you, a hero in your own right, all good things.