Above: Homer Babbitt and Rachel
Lafex take a break after successfully organizing the pool tournament.
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The dining hall served as the place
to be on Saturday, March 20, hosting
Habitat for Humanity’s
Second Ever Pool Tournament.
Hustling some good food, live music
and door prizes galore, the tournament chalked up some fun.
Above: Matt Cobis concentrates on
his shot as Bob Cass looks on.
Above left: (l-r) Glenda Brinson,
Amy Greene, Mike Pivinski and Ryan Berger enjoy pizza and drinks.
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Photos by Patrick Hartigan |
Campus angels help student
in emergency
By CHRISTY KINCADE
Robin Takacs of Computer Services and junior Tom
Duffy administered emergency first aid in the library computer lab Thursday,
February 25.
Takacs had been helping a student prepare a presentation for his Organizational
Communications Training class when he had an epileptic seizure in the lab.
“I had spent some time with him on Tuesday
to help him with his presentation on epileptic seizures,” said Takacs.
“We had scanned in a chart on Tuesday for training in epileptic seizures.”
Takacs recalls there being a loud noise, like
a burst of prolonged laughter coming from one of the computers. When
she turned around, the student was having a seizure in the middle of the
room.
Duffy, also a member of the Organizational
Communications class, and Takacs rushed to help.
“I asked Tom, ‘Do you know him? Do you
know what to do?’” said Takacs.
“From the first aid training I had, I knew
to clear everything away to let him go so he would not bang his head on
anything,” Duffy said.
Takacs remembered the chart and image that
was saved for the student’s presentation, still on the computer screen.
As she read the instructions to Duffy from the computer, he administered
first aid to the student. Takacs then phoned security and the campus
nurse.
“Security arrived first,” Takacs said.
“It seemed like it took forever, but it happened really fast. The
other students working in the lab either exited the room or stood there
for a second, then left. I thought it was very admirable that Tom stayed
and helped out.”
“I was very scared,” said Duffy. “One time
I thought he stopped breathing and he had stopped moving.”
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By TRICIA WOOD
VWC nurse Linda Tisdale received
an award this month for saving a life on campus.
She assisted RESPONSE volunteer
Dick Biondo, who experienced a heart attack at a lecture, to emergency
care.
Biondo, a participant in the program that aids individuals
who have been sexually abused, was scheduled to speak to a group of women
at VWC on January 6. On the way to the Village II classroom in which
he was to give his lecture, he began sweating profusely and was sensing
excruciating pains on the left side of his body.
“It was approaching 3 o’clock,”
said Biondo. “I’m almost never late. I’m really obsessed about
being late.”
Biondo was lost and could not find his way to the classroom.
That was when he ran into Tisdale, who pointed him in the right direction.
Since Health Services sponsors
the RESPONSE program on campus, Tisdale knew exactly where Biondo needed
to be. When he finally reached the classroom, Biondo began his speech.
“What I normally planned to
do, I didn’t do,” said Biondo. “I was off my plan. I felt like
a speaker with a lost script.”
Biondo retired from the United
States Navy after 20 years of service and is also a member of the Bayside
Speakers Toastmasters Club. He currently is a public speaking teacher
at the Adult Learning Center in Virginia Beach.
“I help adults overcome their
fear of public speaking,” said Biondo. “I’m really good at what I
do.”
But during Biondo’s speech,
he became preoccupied with the sense of heaviness in his chest and
deviated from his normal program. About halfway into his speech,
Biondo apologized for his unusual behavior and excused himself from the
room.
“If I’m going to go, I don’t
want to go here,” recalled Biondo. “I didn’t want to die in a classroom.”
As Biondo was walking through
Village II, he ran into Tisdale again. She offered him assistance
for she knew at that point something was very wrong. She claimed
his heart rate was odd, and was beating at a very low, irregular rate.
She also remembers his distinct coloring of grayish green, a sign of a
heart attack.
At that point Tisdale called
for an ambulance, described his condition to the paramedics and tried to
make Biondo feel as comfortable as possible.
“I kept trying to talk to him
and let him know everything was going to be OK,” said Tisdale.
Her main goal was to keep Biondo
alert so he wouldn’t pass out. She felt like it was the longest 12
minutes of her life, waiting for the ambulance to show up.
“I didn’t have real good hopes
when he left,” said Tisdale.
Biondo has a history of heart
problems and had bypass surgery just three years ago. The ambulance
rushed him to the cardiac center of Norfolk General Hospital, where the
most-state-of-the art equipment for heart patients is utilized. Biondo
stayed in the hospital for 10 days because of complications. During
surgery, a stint — which is a clear, mesh pipe — was installed around one
of Biondo’s arteries to absorb excess blood. While doing so, the
artery was nicked and his groin filled with blood.
“I’ve never had pain like this,”
claimed Biondo. “The tears ran out of my eyes.”
During his stay at the hospital,
Biondo lost 16 pounds, got a permanent pacemaker placed in his heart and
experienced lower body bruising, though he did recover.
Biondo, 65, recalls the grotesque
memories of hospital food.
“One night they gave me a roast
beef dinner at midnight,” remembers Biondo.
But had it not been for Tisdale’s prompt, life-saving
actions, Biondo may not have been able to tell his inspirational story.
“Thank God she was there,” said
Biondo. “Her efforts were undoubtedly instrumental in saving my life.”
Tisdale received a Bachelor
of Science degree from Florida State University and has practiced nursing
in Alabama, Connecticut, Florida and New York. She has been at VWC
since 1990.
She was presented a “Guardian
Angel Award,” on March 4, for her efforts in aiding Biondo.
“She didn’t have a halo,” said
Biondo. “She was just a wonderful lady who did everything right.
She’s my angel.”
Campus Angels Continued
When staff nurse Mary Gerriets arrived, she had Takacs describe
the seizure to her. Then the student’s father was called. Until
he arrived, two of his campus co-workers stayed with him.
“This was my first eye-witness account of
a seizure,” Takacs said. “It went through phases. All I knew
was to keep the person resting, but he wanted to get up.”
After a seizure ends the person is usually
confused and won’t remember what happened. The student did not remember
his phone number when the episode ended, and he was anxious to get up from
the floor.
“It was just an ironic twist of fate that
he was working on that particular presentation,” Takacs said. “It
was above and beyond that Tom stayed and helped. It was a joint effort.
Everybody did their part and we were able to avoid a tragedy.”
“I stayed and helped because that’s what I
would want someone to do for me,” said Duffy. |
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