It was an evening so hot that the only reason to be at the Independence Athletic Complex ballpark was if you loved baseball or loved someone who played baseball. Teresa Scobee-King, BSN, RN, CPAN, was there to watch her husband Jim, a catcher in a senior softball league.
Teresa settled into her spot on the bleachers, comforted by the rhythm and sounds of the games she took in up to three times a week during the summer. Suddenly, something caught her ear that broke those rhythms. A murmur of disturbance. Then the cry came for a doctor or nurse.
“I think it’s something ingrained in a lot of hospital workers,” said Teresa, who works in Pavilion PreOp and Recovery at North Kansas City Hospital. “When you hear the call, you don’t even hesitate, you just go. You don’t even think about it.
She came upon a man in his late 70s, lying on his back in the gravel infield, near first base. Teresa could tell he needed immediate help. An individual was administering chest compressions, but she saw he was getting tired, so Teresa took over.
“I just knelt down in the gravel infield and went to work,” Teresa said. “I didn’t put a towel down or anything. I didn’t realize what I was kneeling on until I got up and felt the grit in my knees.”
Fortunately, someone brought over an AED (automated external defibrillator) while Teresa was doing chest compressions.
Teresa administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for close to 30 minutes and defibrillated the man three times with the help of another fan.
“That the baseball complex had AEDs was the key,” Teresa said. “Even though I did CPR, if we hadn’t defibrillated him, it wouldn’t have been successful.”
While Teresa was performing CPR, teammates dialed 911, called the man’s family, got a list of his medications and waited near the road to direct emergency responders back to the right ball field. “Everybody was trying to cheer him on,” Teresa said. “I heard some prayers and saw teammates holding hands.”
The slightly responsive man received Teresa’s attention as she diligently administered CPR until she felt three strong taps on her back.
“When I felt those taps and turned around and saw a police officer,” Teresa said, “that’s when I knew I could stop.”
It was an evening so hot that the only reason to be at the Independence Athletic Complex ballpark was if you loved baseball or loved someone who played baseball. Teresa Scobee-King, BSN, RN, CPAN, was there to watch her husband Jim, a catcher in a senior softball league. Teresa settled into her spot on the bleachers, comforted by the rhythm and sounds of the games she took in up to three times a week during the summer. Suddenly, something caught her ear that broke those rhythms. A murmur of disturbance. Then the cry came for a doctor or nurse. “I think it’s something ingrained in a lot of hospital workers,” said Teresa, who works in Pavilion PreOp and Recovery at North Kansas City Hospital. “When you hear the call, you don’t even hesitate, you just go. You don’t even think about it. She came upon a man in his late 70s, lying on his back in the gravel infield, near first base. Teresa could tell he needed immediate help. An individual was administering chest compressions, but she saw he was getting tired, so Teresa took over. “I just knelt down in the gravel infield and went to work,” Teresa said. “I didn’t put a towel down or anything. I didn’t realize what I was kneeling on until I got up and felt the grit in my knees.” Fortunately, someone brought over an AED (automated external defibrillator) while Teresa was doing chest compressions. Teresa administered mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for close to 30 minutes and defibrillated the man three times with the help of another fan. “That the baseball complex had AEDs was the key,” Teresa said. “Even though I did CPR, if we hadn’t defibrillated him, it wouldn’t have been successful.” While Teresa was performing CPR, teammates dialed 911, called the man’s family, got a list of his medications and waited near the road to direct emergency responders back to the right ball field. “Everybody was trying to cheer him on,” Teresa said. “I heard some prayers and saw teammates holding hands.” The slightly responsive man received Teresa’s attention as she diligently administered CPR until she felt three strong taps on her back. “When I felt those taps and turned around and saw a police officer,” Teresa said, “that’s when I knew I could stop.”
