You know how sometimes we experience foreboding in a movie? We sense something’s about to happen. Our pulse races. We grab the arm of the person next to us whether we know him or not.

But it’s a misdirect. Foreshadowing. The bad thing doesn’t happen. PHEW!

Relieved, we sit back and enjoy the movie until later when we’re totally caught off guard, WHAM! Something really-really-really awful happens.

Writing on the Wall

That foreshadowing actually happened to me. And I wasn’t in a movie (if only…)

Two months ago I was at one of Niles’ catered parties when the Chef choked on a piece of steak.  Other Guests and I gasped as a Server Heimliched him.  It wasn’t working. Time was Ticking. Stunned, we were afraid to interfere with the Server who seemed to know what to do. We were paralyzed over what felt like an eternity.

I yelled, “SOMEONE CALL 911!”

The Chef bent over the kitchen sink and tried Heimlich himself. No luck. He dropped to the floor, doubled over, and gagged as he tried to dislodge the obstruction in his airway. At last he coughed up the meat while the Caller reported to 911 on the phone.

We all realized the magnitude of what had almost happened on our watch. The Chef was shaken, but able to leave. It was a good ending… on that night.

Deja Vu

Fast forward to last Saturday night when I was on my Volunteer shift. Paramedics rushed in a 60-year old fit, otherwise healthy Man who’d choked on piece of steak. He’d been at the steak restaurant with his wife… the steak restaurant they’d go to every Saturday night. The Man had tried to get the piece of steak up himself and even left the table to go to the restroom so he wouldn’t make a scene. He returned and collapsed on the table. No one even knew to call 911, until too much time had passed..

When someone did, Paramedics arrived at the scene 8 minutes later, but the Man had been without oxygen to his brain for 15 minutes. Now at the hospital as they tried to revive the Man, the Wife still held out hope… until Dr. Adams broke the devastating news to her.

I watched through the curtain as Dr. Adams with tears in his eyes, tried to console her.  Together they waited until the two 20-something kids arrived to say “good-bye” to their Dad before pulling the plug. This family had planned to celebrate Father’s Day the next day. The Son had planned a hike with his Dad. The Daughter had been looking forward to her Dad walking her down the aisle at her wedding in October…

Ever since, I’ve been telling everyone about this story (leaving out names and personal details of course for Patient Confidentiality). Who knew that the odds of one dying from choking on food is around 1 in 2,659. That’s scary!

It’s probably a good time for each of us to learn or re-learn the Heimlich Maneuver.

What else can we do? Well, we can remember to cut up and chew our food carefully. And when we see someone choking, we must act without waiting. Heimlich and  call 911, STAT!  The time we save may be the difference between life and death.

Be careful out there… xo/Evie

What happens when a 93-year-old Spanish Revival/Art Deco movie palace with one of the largest screens in L.A. goes up for sale? Well, following the trend of Tarantino’s purchase of the Vista Theater, and Netflix/American Cinematheque’s purchase of Egyptian Theater, a who’s who list of three-dozen Directors are joining together to preserve The Village Theater.

An Iconic Save

Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Lulu Wang, Bradley Cooper, JJ Abrams, Damien Chazelle, Chris Columbus, Todd Phillips, Guillermo Del Toro, Alexander Gonzalez Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron are just some of the Directors, lead by Jason Reitman (Juno, Up in the Air) who plan to preserve and restore the 1930’s landmark, scene of decades of iconic films and memorable movie premiers. Some of the Village Theater’s visionaries like Jason Lin, Gina Prince-Blythewood, Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, Brad Silberling and Alexander Payne are returning to their UCLA roots in this joint venture that’s university-adjacent in the Westwood Village.

The Directors plan to showcase a mixture of first-run films and repertory programming that they will select. Goals include showcasing their personal collections of props, wardrobe items and film prints, along with plans for a restaurant, bar and gallery — all while the 1300-people theatre stays open.

I’m very excited to support this endeavor. My mom grew up going to the Village Theater. I loved her stories of glamorous Hollywood. I wouldn’t mind a dose of  glam right now.

We can all use a dose of sparkle…

There’s so much to freak out about these days, and much of it is beyond our control: the SAG/AFTRA strike, worldwide climate calamities, a Congress-stalled government, a deeply divided country, a North Korea/Russian alliance, the war in Ukraine, gun violence… I could go on and on, but why? It just adds to anxiety.

Smiles are contagious —

I can’t believe I’m admitting to this, but volunteering at the ER is actually calming during these tumultuous times because it gives me a reason to wake up in the morning and an opportunity to make the world a less combative place.  It’s like working in the United Nations of the hospital where we treat everyone, regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual preference or political party, exactly the same. We must hear what patients are saying and respond to them in a way they can hear us. If only our politicians could do the same.

All Patients Think They Are The Priority —

Priority in Triage isn’t about who you are or who you know, it’s about who has the most life-threatening issue. Chest Pains, Asthma, Stroke symptoms, and life threatening injuries get to go to the head of the line. And everyone understands that. Or they need to. But sometimes they’re in pain or their loved one is in pain and that makes a tough situation even tougher.

I may not have control over the strikes, the climate, Congress or Putin and Kim Jong Un, but I do have the power to help ease the stress of everyone in my path at the hospital, so I’m going to focus on that… one person at a time.

I know, I know – it seems like I’ve been MIA, but honestly this is the first moment I’ve had to myself. See, my dear Niles, hairdresser to the stars and my rock ever since my Mom died, had a scary fall and I’ve been “Nurse Evie” ever since.

Coming to the rescue for family…

Thankfully Niles lives in my building, and after a party of too much flying from who knows what, he slipped and landed splat on his marble bathroom floor, Speedy Evie and two cute paramedics flew to his rescue. As we sped away from the condo in the ambulance, they gave him Fentanyl (yikes!) and told me he’d broken his hip. I asked how they knew and apparently one leg looked longer than the other, plus some bone was sticking out the wrong way. Poor Niles!

I was so relieved they were willing to drive to my hospital, because volunteering in the ER does have its perks. Everyone in the department hopped-to when they saw me. They understood Niles is “family” me.

Dr. A was thankfully on duty when we arrived around midnight and I’m sure he expedited things because in less than an hour and a half, Niles was admitted upstairs and more comfortable in the hospital bed. Dr. A also called a badass ortho surgeon he knew (Dr. Snow) who came to Niles’ room first thing the next morning. Dr. Snow patiently answered our questions about the hip fracture, surgery and recovery and slotted him into her schedule for later that night.

Waiting while Niles was suffering was so stressful. I can empathize with family members who must play the waiting game. You have to wait for tests, for doctor input, for surgery, to be discharged.  It’s really hard. Star Volunteer Mira, was so supportive. She knew just what to say through all of the hours of not-knowing and brought me Kreation organic smoothies to keep me going.

The surgery went well though and as long as Niles didn’t move much he was okay as long as he got Oxy every four hours. I was a little freaked out  about Oxy… I mean, I saw DOPESICK…) Niles was feeling good about it though. He even joked about what he called his Elephantiasis due to swelling. Meanwhile they kept pumping IV fluids into him, making him even more bloated.

Getting out of the hospital is harder than getting in…

He was ready to be done with it all but whenever the Physical Therapist would stop by to access him daily, he’d get light-headed and his blood pressure would drop so they’d have to stop.

After a few days, I ran down to the ER and asked Nurse Chan, if he had any suggestions because at this rate it looked like Niles would never get out.

“Stop with the Oxy because it makes blood pressure go Ziiiiip! Try Tylenol for PT”

Luckily that and a quick blood transfusion (because Niles was anemic) did the trick. I was able to take Niles home as long as he wouldn’t be alone.  A cute PT guy came 5 days a week and I practiced with Niles in between.

Niles has been a superstar. He aced the walker, graduated to a cane and is now pretty much cane-free except when it comes to big stairways.

The whole experience makes me a appreciate Niles even more. I’m so glad I could help him in his time of need. Niles has always been there for me. I’m grateful that this time I could be there for him.

Focusing on the good in a beyond-tumultuous year, my heart is soooo touched by unexpected kindness displayed during the Buffalo Blizzard. When humans step up in ways that save lives, the gift is priceless. Surely there are more stories out there about unlikely heroes, but here are three stories highlighted in the news —

HEROES OF KINDNESS —

On Christmas Eve Alexander and Andrea Campagna became “accidental innkeepers” to nine South Korean tourists whose van was stuck in a ditch in the early days of the blizzard. In true Christmas spirit, The Campagnas sheltered worried tourists, resulting in an unexpected slumber party, a unique bond and a yummy Korean Christmas dinner that none of them will ever forget.

photo by Sweet Buffalo Facebook

Sha’Kyra Aughtry was home during the blizzard when she heard screams early Christmas Eve. Out the window she could see a man calling for help. After Aughtry’s boyfriend carried the freezing, developmentally disabled man, Joe White (64) inside their home. Although Aughtry was unable to get Emergency help, the fast-thinker used a blow dryer to melt ice off Joe White’s red blistered hands. She used  a grass cutter to remove White’s rings while Aughtry live-streamed her calls for help and emotional concerns for his fading condition. Refusing to let him die, she cared for him — encouraging him to keep the faith —  when thankfully one of her Facebook followers got through with a car. They took Joe White to the hospital and saved his life. Aughtry’s compassion and feisty personality led to a Merry Christmas for Joe White and his very-worried family.

photo by CBS News.com

QUICK OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKING…

Jay Withey Jr, a 27-year-old Kenmore mechanic saved 10-24  lives after breaking into Pine Hill Primary Center school because his  truck  got stuck and he was trying to stay alive.  Before that he’d knocked on the door of 15 homes where the residents were too scared to let a stranger in. So Withey broke into the school, discovered shelter, and became Super Snowman searching for and saving others stuck in ditches. Before he left, he wrote a note to the school:

“To Whomever It May Concern: I’m terribly sorry about breaking the school window and for breaking in the kitchen. Got stuck at 8 p.m. Friday and slept in my truck with two strangers. Just trying not to die. There were 7 elderly people also stuck and out of fuel. I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter and food and a bathroom. Merry Christmas. Jay.

Hope these stories warm your heart as much as they did mine and that we’ll all come to the rescue of strangers-in-need when the occasion arises. (I’m really into heroes, wherever and whenever they pop up.)  xx/Evie

Who Dunnit? Who Didn’t?

I’m obsessed with BAD SISTERS. OBSESSED! Created by Sharon Horgan, Brett Baer and Dave Finkel, it’s the freshest series I’ve seen in a while. On Twitter Co-Star Horgan admits to being a “bit of a weird voyeur.” All I can say is “weird voyeurism makes for great TV” — especially if you’re a weird observer of easy-to-hate villains, complicated family dynamics and reluctant flirtations.

I couldn’t stop watching this twisty black-comedy thriller for Apple TV+ but secretly hoped it would never end. It shocks with “I can’t believe they just did that” scenes while taking us on turns we don’t see coming.

The family that murders together (Well, maybe…)

This 10 episode series follows the Garvey sisters: Eva/Horgan, Ursula/Eva Birthistle, Bibi/Sarah Green, Becka/Eve Hewson and Grace/Anne-Marie Duff, the long-suffering wife of John Paul/Claus Bang.  Bound together by the death of their parents and a promise to always protect each other, they take their bond to a whole new level.

Wittily written, awesomely acted with surprising setbacks and hilarious advances — the worst thing possible is constantly happening thanks to villain John Paul. Grace’s horrendous husband is the guy we all want to do in.

Sometimes it’s good to be BAD…

Think BIG LITTLE LIES set in Ireland as the sisters stand up for one another and contemplate new methods of murder. The romantic in me loves the forbidden affair between Becka (the role I’d love to play) and Matt (Daryl McCormack) the brother of Insurance Guy, Tom/Brian Gleeson who’s determined to prove JP’s death is not accidental. There’s nothing accidental about this series… it’s brilliantly cast, written and acted… and executed with great care.

As the series rolled out and I was forced to wait for each new episode, I watched  CATASTROPHE to feed my addiction to Horgan’s humor. It helped.

But now that I’ve seen the Season Finale (which was soooooooo satisfying btw) I really miss all of the characters…

xo/evie

But how do I know if we’re both wearing masks?

The vibe’s different now. Covid’s basically under control and the staff isn’t freaking out about Monkey Pox, but MASKS are still required.

I miss SMILES… connecting with SMILES… getting feedback from SMILES… I especially miss  smiling with Dr. Privacy and seeing HIS smile. I hadn’t realized how important smiles were to my ER life because I took them for granted.

Sadly this is so not happening!

Mira says I’m totally overthinking this. She insists that he can see my eyes smile, but Mira’s like the ideal volunteer who always says and thinks the perfect thing — she’s like Mother Theresa’s daughter. When I look in the mirror, I don’t see smiling eyes. No, I see a fugly mask that goes yuckily with my fugly hospital smock. Guess I should be happy none of my fans can recognize me. WAIT! Do I even still have them?

Conundrum: How can I #BeAuthentic if I’m masked?

FACIAL FEEDBACK shows friendliness (or not) —

Facial expressions help us read and understand each other. If I can’t see someone’s face and vice versa, I go into a funk. It’s kinda like going to an audition where the CD has a blank face. If I can’t see someone’s facial expression it’s hard to get a sense if I’m nailing it or failing it.

I feel like masks zap the warmth from everyday life at the hospital. It’s impossible to look cute with a mask.

I guess I can try to be the reason someone smiles today… even if I can’t see it. But it’ll be a challenge, trust me.

I know — I’ll study up on body language before my next shift. I’ll make eye contact and mirror Dr. Privacy. Maybe that’ll  bring back the spark we felt before Covid — or was it just me? Maybe I’ll start with the patients — they’ll be more receptive.

Aha! I just sneaked one in. Removing my mask is the NEW NAUGHTY!