Despite a full awareness of our human frailty, one is never prepared when a medical emergency befalls a friend, family member, or in my case – a valued friend and staff member.
On July 8, while in Tillamook with CRBJ staff reporter Greg Cohen, he collapsed outside Garibaldi City Hall directly after a meeting with City Administrator John O’Leary and Port Manager Kevin Greenwood.
My reaction – repeatedly yelling “Oh my god” – proved to be woefully inadequate. Thankfully cooler and more experienced heads were on the scene.
O’Leary, who has been a volunteer fireman for 12 years, was at Greg’s side in seconds, working to stabilize his head and neck in the event the fall had caused damage to his spine. Greg, nonresponsive, was unable to communicate his injuries.
Adjacent to city hall is the Garibaldi Fire Department. Three volunteer fire fighters onsite, Melissa Nowiki, Joe Marugg, and Steve Schroetke raced over to assist. I called 911 – the only useful action I mustered during this trying event.
Paramedics Jackie Fox and Terry Watts, from Tillamook Ambulance, a department of Tillamook General Hospital, were on the scene within three minutes, and quickly administered needed CPR and defibrillation. They stabilized him and transported him to Tillamook General Hospital. There he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung, and later fell into a coma. He was transported to Providence St. Vincent’s in Portland.
The good news? Excellent, immediate care saved Greg’s life, and his outlook is very good. I can never speak enough words of appreciation for the quick thinking and professional action of all the people in Tillamook County who helped provide this outcome.
After being in the critical care unit at St. V’s for many days, Greg is now home. He has a long recovery ahead of him, and regretfully he will not be able to be part of our full-time reporting staff for the foreseeable future.
This medical drama caused a jumble of emotions in our office: Shock, sadness, and fear that our office would be losing its “curmudgeon,” a mantle his co-workers endearingly bestowed upon him, and which he wears proudly.
As the owner of a deadline-driven business, I found it a disturbing requirement to make quick decisions to insure completion of this issue without benefit of half of my reporting staff, all the while weighed down by grief. For two weeks I was unsure of Greg’s future status with CRBJ, and was uncertain about how to proceed in replacing his important contribution to this publication.
Ultimately I took solace in something Greg’s wife, Kathy, said to me when Greg was still non-communicative:
“Greg was a newspaper editor for over 25 years,” Kathy said. “If anyone understands the need to do what you have to do to move forward and get the job done, it would be Greg.”
Kathy’s words helped lift the burden of guilt I was feeling, and I will be forever grateful for her insight.
The medical incident left me with this thought: There are some things for which a small business owner cannot be prepared – emotionally or otherwise.