Life is short

Tonight I watched a guy die on the floor of the changing room at my gym.

Earlier, as I left the changing room to go for a short run, there was a large gentleman complaining to one of the trainers that he had pain in his shoulder. The trainer recommended he go see a physio.

Twenty minutes later, as I came back to the changing room I could sense the panic. As I came through to the main area there were about a dozen people standing around, looking very unhappy. I could see someone lying on the floor, and the arms and legs of the person were shaking. I thought that someone was having a fit. There are a few people at work who have fits from time to time, so I felt prepared for what was happening, and I think I thought that maybe I could help those people watching, who seemed distressed about something I perceived to be not that serious.

However, when I got closer to the man on the floor I saw he wasn't shaking through a fit, he was shaking because someone was sitting on him, and pounding his chest in an attempt to restart his heart.

My gym is across the river from the Houses of Parliament, and even closer to St Thomas' Hospital, so there were a few surgeons in the changing room when he collapsed. But they couldn't help him.

After a few more minutes the paramedics arrived with a defibrillator, and they spent the next ten minutes giving him electric shocks. The only words spoken were from the defibrillator.

"Charging.....

Ready to charge...

Please do not touch patient...

Charge being administered..

Charge administered...

Please wait..."

After each shock everyone would look at the screen on the defibrillator to see if a heartbeat registered, but it didn't. And still no one would speak.

It was strange to see a body, that didn't react to another man pounding its chest, suddenly arch, in stress, to an electric shock - just like the movies.

I think he had been on the floor for 20 minutes before they took him away. No one declared him dead, that would happen at hospital, but I think he had been dead for 20 minutes. I admire the people who wouldn't give up on him.