The first morning of our trip we left the hotel and waited at the street for the shuttle to take us to Disneyland. We thought it stopped in front of our condo, but it never came. We walked a little farther but never saw one. I checked in a different hotel office and was told it stopped right out front. When that bus pulled up the driver told us it wasn't the bus we wanted... needless to say we ended up walking a mile to Disneyland.
It was the first week of July, and it was already warm. Once we were in the park we were drinking a lot of water and searching for shade.
Around 5:00 the kids found a spot to watch the parade and we all hung out for a while. We were in the sun, but had a front row view of the parade. Chuck found a small ledge to rest on, with a rod iron fence behind him to lean against. Beth and I got out our portable fans and I looked back to see if Chuck would want to use mine for a while.
That's when I noticed he had passed out. Arms limp, head back... he was about 15 feet away from us and as I walked over to him I was thinking, 'Could he really have fallen asleep?' I shook his shoulder and called his name. No response. He had sunglasses on but it looked like his eyes had rolled back. I called his name louder. Still no response.
I panicked. My brain just can't process what I'm supposed to do. I turned around to get the family's attention and Sharaya was already on her way over, she had heard me calling his name. Peter was right behind her. A lady who was on the other side of the fence had seen what was happening and grabbed her cooling rag and handed it to Peter. He put it around Chuck's neck and he gently took off his sunglasses. I saw him put both hands on his shoulders. "Chuck." He shook him slightly, "Chuck."
He sat straight up, I think Peter was holding him steady, his eyes were wide and he looked terrified. Peter just kept gently talking to him, asking him his name and if he knew where he was.
The lady behind the fence told us she had called security. We gave Chuck some water and he began to feel better. He balanced himself on that ledge while Peter stood in front of him. Two people from security came and got him into a wheelchair. I went with them while the rest of the family stayed, and I think they ended up watching the parade.
We moved to the other side of the street where they took his vitals and everything was normal. I took a picture of the nurse working on Chuck and sent it to Beth. I told her that they were checking his oxygen with that little thing on his finger like the nurse does for her sometimes. And they checked his blood pressure with the cuff around his arm. I didn't know what she had seen before and I wanted her to know he was going to be okay.
After the nurse was done we headed for the first aide station. One guy pushing the wheelchair and two security people in front, making a clear path. They were moving, it was all I could do to keep up with them!
Suddenly, we head over to the side of the street and they opened a wall. We went behind the facade and made our way behind the scenes and away from the crowds. And we were still moving fast! There wasn't any Disney magic back there, but there were a lot of amazing men and women who make the magic happen out front.
At the first aide station Chuck laid down and they gave him lots of water. His color came back and soon he was okay again. The nurse said he was dehydrated. After a while Sharaya came in to tell us they were outside waiting for us. We opted for security to push Chuck out the gates and all the way to the street. He's not a small man and if he were to pass out again... I just didn't want to risk it. Then we got an Uber to take us back to the condo. Chuck was fine the rest of the night.
L-R -- Ally, Me (pony tail, blue ball cap) Diana, Security, Peter.
Sharaya took these while we were making our way to the exit
The next day we went to California Adventure. We planned this day very differently than we did the day before. Brought lots of water. Sat in the shade a lot. Stopped and took the time to actually eat a meal.
Near the end of the day we're sitting on a bench in the shade and someone noticed an ice cream shop nearby. One of the girls suggested we take turns so that we'd save our place in the shade and asked if we wanted to go first. So Chuck, Beth and I go inside and order our ice cream. While we're waiting for the order, a lady in front of me turns around and asks, "How is your husband? I've been thinking about you all since yesterday and I've wondered how he was doing?"
IT WAS THE LADY WHO WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE!!
Are you kidding me?!? I started crying and she started crying. I turned to get Chuck (he was grabbing napkins) and when I told him, he started crying. We asked her some questions, she had seen him pass out and said he was only out for a few seconds when I turned and saw him. That's why she had the cooling rag ready. We got to hug her and then went out and told the family. "Guess who we just saw?!"
Talk about a miracle.
A different day.
A different park.
At the exact same ice cream shop.
At the exact same moment.
The Lord is so good to watch out for us. Not only is Chuck okay, but He provided closure for Christine and gave us the opportunity to thank her!