I need a hero. That's what Bonnie Tyler sings. And heroes are everywhere. Saving a life is a blessing bestowed upon many... the people who survive and the ones who make survival happen. The adrenaline is what you run on and the pure human tenacity; unless of course you're trained to save people, that's brains as well. No matter what, it's still a blessing.
Redditor u/TheAdventureInsider wanted everyone who has saved a life to speak out and rejoice by asking.... People who once literally saved a life, what happened?
When I was seven.....
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When I was seven I was playing on the busiest road in town, trucks and buses constantly thundering past, inches from pedestrians. A young mother, deep in conversation with her friend, let go of the pushchair in which her baby was fast asleep. The pushchair rolled into the road, I dashed out and pulled the baby out of the path of huge truck.
The mother, oblivious to the drama that had just taken place, snatched the child from me and without acknowledgement turned away to continue her chin wagging. No one but the truck driver and myself had an inkling of what had taken place. mykylodge
"I'm scared. I messed up."
When I was 16, my younger sister attempted suicide while we were home alone. I was doing spanish homework, she was in her room by herself.
She had been going through a rough time and my whole family knew it. My parents are divorced and my mom treats our mental health very differently than my dad does. My mom knew that our mental health is just as important as physical health, my dad never took us seriously. Just our luck, we were at my dads house the night that everything happened.
I heard her crying in her room from the kitchen, but decided not to intrude for the first few minutes, knowing she liked her alone time. I heard her talking, so I assumed she was on the phone with my mom. Finally, after about 20 minutes of sobbing coming from my sister, I decided to check on her (wish I did sooner). She was laying on her bed crying, didn't even move when I walked inside. All she said was "I'm scared. I messed up." My eyes scanned the room and I saw empty bottles of her medication. They were all empty. I calmly asked her how many she took, she said all of them.
I picked her up and ran her to the bathroom, calling 911 as I got her to throw up the pills. I stayed surprisingly very calm throughout the whole ordeal, up until the ambulance and police finally got there. That was when I started having a full blown panic attack. One of the police officers had to go retrieve my inhaler.
Turns out, she was concealing the side effects of her medication from my family and from her doctors. She was developing schizophrenia and severe depression, solely from her meds. She told us that there were voices in her head telling her to do it, and she was so tired of hearing them (she had insomnia because of the voices). It's been 4 years since, and she's doing much better. She's basically a new person and loves the life she's living. I'm so proud of the progress she has made. upperslide8
Foaming....
I was at a party and a girl overdosed and no one was doing anything helpful. she was foaming at the mouth and choking so I put her in recovery position and she coughed up a lot of stuff that would have blocked her airway completely. goldfishspagetti
Trippy....
Gf (when we were 15) started choking on a chicken wing bone. Didn't know what was up at first, then she stood up and grabbed her neck and looked pale blue. I did the Heimlich maneuver and the bone popped out and she began coughing and gasping for air. After a min or two she settled down and was breathing normally. She was creeped out the rest of the night and was afraid to sleep. She told me just as I started the maneuver everything was starting to go black from the outside of her field of vision, inwards. That was a trippy night. _CattleRustler_
I'm Getting this Kid!
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I was once leaving a restaurant and walking to my car when I heard a child crying and screaming. It sounded terrible and I felt something was off so I started tracking the noise through the parking lot. I eventually found a mini-van, all windows up in the middle of July. Mini-van was turned off with no adults inside. I waited for about a minute, called 911 and told them what was happening, they said they would send someone. I told the dispatcher I didn't think it could wait. I remember being worried about being accused of kidnapping so I told the dispatcher something along the lines of, "I'm breaking into the car to get this child, I'm not taking the child or going anywhere, I'll wait for the police to arrive but I'm getting the kid out of this car."
Got into the vehicle to find a 3 year old strapped into the car seat in the very back. He was screaming bloody murder, all of his clothes were dripping in sweat. Pulled him out of the car and held him until he calmed down and police/firemen arrived. He was a foster child. Dad and Uncle had been drinking inside for over an hour. Temperature on the dashboard read at over 130 degrees Fahrenheit (I don't remember the exact temp).
Kid went to the hospital to get checked out, my wife and I rode with as he had taken to us. He ended up being fine. I called the DCFS case worker afterwards to make sure the kid was removed from that family. Local news came out and interviewed my wife and I and the fire department gave us a citizen service or hero award or something. My work made a big deal about it and played the news segment at one of our meetings. I just remember thanking God the kid was ok. Everyone kept calling us hero's etc. It seemed strange the whole time since we didn't risk our lives or anything, just broke into a car and waited for the cops. In my mind, real heroes make sacrifices or take risks for the benefit/good of others. We were just right place, right time, and did what a reasonable person would do. Doc_Goldberg
Don't Panic.
When I was 10 my 3 year old sister tried running in front of the bus that was supposed to pick us up. I grabbed her by her jacket at the last minute. All I remember after that was everyone panicking. i-feed-on-dead-memes
Off Duty......
Was off duty walking around town and saw a massive issue happening at the river, man with MS had had a seizure and collapsed into the water, was lifeless and drowning.
I wasn't in any kit but have a history of water rescue in my previous job so forget it. I got in after him and yeah, he was about 6ft 5, very heavy, I'm very big myself but this dude started to regain use of his body and lashing out in panic, punching me, dragging me under with him.
Honestly one of the only times I thought I'd screwed up and main the wrong choice of going in after him.
Managed to kick out from him and get behind him so he couldn't hit me, Swam him back to land and yeah he was ok.
On the plus side his mum (his care) brought me some amazing biscuits and cookies into the station the following days and the lad was so appreciative, we are now good friends. OnlyBiceps
Staying Alive...
This guy collapsed in front of Walmart a few years ago and vomited so much blood I thought he'd die of exsanguination. I got my phone out, put 911 on speaker and di chest compressions on the man while the 911 operator sang Staying Alive by The Bee Gees. Staying Alive has the perfect rhythm for chest compressions and is on the NY Presbyterian CPR Spotify playlist. The hospital was only three miles up the road so the rescue squad got there super quick. Because I gave my information to 911 and First responders the man's wife was able to call me a few weeks later and let me know her husband was doing much better.
He'd had a cardiac episode followed by a tension pneumothorax. They airlifted him to Duke Hospital and he was released after quadruple bypass. He died this year, aged 81 of natural causes, according to his obituary. He lived an additional seven and a half years. His wife asked me to pick something so she could say thank you, I didn't want anything. I was just some 17 year old kid who happened to come out of the store at the right time. I can't imagine asking someone for payment for saving their life. Besides, I did small potatoes compared to EMS and hospital staff. carmelacorleon
3000 pounds of hydraulic pressure ......
I was running ground observation during a main landing gear retract operation when our production superintendent not only walked into the coned off area without being cleared to do so, but he walked under the aircraft and started looking at a beacon light near one of the main gear doors.
Because it was so loud, he couldn't hear me scream at him, and because I wasn't keying my microphone, but I was screaming, the guys upstairs thought my microphone died. So they proceeded to cycle the landing gear without verifying that it was clear (they thought it was clear because they though I was yelling to them that it was).
I had to run and shove my pro sup out of the way of a moving door that was under 3000 pounds of hydraulic pressure and would have easily severed an arm or leg. deuteranopia
help the kid.
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Saw a single mother try to get her baby carriage with a new born in it off the train while her 1-2 year old toddler was trying to get off herself. Unfortunate the gap between the train and the platform was too big for that little girl's short legs and I instinctively snatched her up and carried her onto the platform while the mom went from momentary amber alert to "oh okay this stranger helped my kid".
It's not particularly dramatic but I'm pretty sure crap could be ended REALLY bad for that little one if I or somebody else hadn't grabbed her. It was a long way down and it would've been hard to get her back up. As far as I know, with how much traffic there was in and out of that train I was the only person who kept an eye on that little girl in that moment and what would have happened if her accident wasn't noticed before the train started back up? It's a thought I never finish and I'm just happy I did what I did because forget that crap. 7hhffe
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
Disney World GIF
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.