At Austin Coming Together’s summit Saturday, the unexpected happened.
After opening remarks at the summit, a guest sitting in the middle of the room had a medical emergency. Although he sat upright in his chair, he was unresponsive with his head tilted back, mouth and eyes open.
Presenters acted without hesitation.
Ethan Ramsay, Austin Coming Together’s planning and investment manager, interrupted Darnell Shields, the organization’s executive director, during his presentation about the group’s past successes to ask whether there was a doctor or nurse in attendance. A registered nurse got up to join a small group of other guests in clearing the chairs surrounding the unresponsive man and helping to move him to the ground and position him on his side with one arm underneath his head.
One of the guests called 911, and a woman led the room in praying over the man, asking God to bless him and aid in his recovery. As programming halted, attendees were asked to file into the gym at By The Hand Club For Kids, where the event was held.
As attendees later returned to the room for the remainder of the summit, it was announced that after paramedics attended to the man he started breathing again and was taken to the hospital.
Since the incident, Shields said he has been in touch with the man’s family, who has informed him that he is in stable condition at the hospital. The man’s family believes he will make a full recovery.
The ACT team and other attendees responded to this medical emergency with great strength and care. Despite the shock, it was clear that everyone involved handled it with grace and compassion.