I had a very close friend, Karen, who recently lost her life after battling brain cancer for 5 years. Her brave fight to live was shared step-by-step by her husband, their two children, extended family and friends. As a way to help raise money for her family, I decided, along with many other colleagues, friends and family members, to sign up to run the New Jersey Half Marathon. I do not consider myself a long distance runner and knew this was going to be a challenging 13.1 mile run. To make matters worse, on the day of the run, it was extremely hot. Once I hit mile 5, I could feel my body starting to heat up more than normal, but I continued on. I'd just passed the 12 mile mark, and was on the home stretch, when all of a sudden everything went black. I woke up hearing someone yelling for an ambulance. I was having a heat stroke.
By the time the paramedics showed up, I was very confused and could not speak. They wanted to know basic information; my name, medical allergies, medical history, etc., etc. I couldn't communicate...I just extended my arm for them to see my Road ID on my wrist. They got all the data they needed. They also contacted my wife to let her know how to find me. I was then rushed off to the hospital for treatment. I felt like a truck had hit me, but I was alive.
By receiving immediate attention, I had quick and complete recovery. Without my Road ID, this scary and dangerous situation could have turned out much worse.
Note: I am happy to let everyone know that through the Ridgewood Rotary Foundation, we were able to raise much needed funds for Karen’s family.
