Is There A Doctor On The Plane?

It was like a scene from a movie.  We’ve all seen it.  Someone is sick in a public place and you hear “Is there a doctor in the house?”  Happens all the time on tv, in movies.

I was flying home from Boston the other day, on the last leg, after lunch and a couple of beers during the Baltimore layover.  Quietly dozing in my window seat, I startled when a flight attendant came over the speaker asking, “Is there anyone on the plane with medical training?...a doctor or a nurse?... please come to the rear of the plane.”  Several people got up and hurriedly walked to the back.  I was seated mid-plane.  I turned my head to look, but from the window seat I couldn’t see anything except for the flight attendants walking back and forth, looking worried.  One of them finally came back on the speaker and announced that there was a sick passenger in the rear lavatory and asked that no one go back there.  We were instructed to use the front lavatory only. 

Looking around at my fellow flyers, I was relieved and a little surprised that folks were so calm.  With the media inundating us with Ebola fear, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see more panic on the faces around me.  Luckily, most everyone looked to be taking it in stride.  They looked curious but not scared.   I wondered if we would have to land early, depending on just how sick the person was.  But other than a lot of hubbub in the rear of the plane, nothing more happened and we continued on our way.

Later, when the flight attendant announced that we were approaching Ft. Lauderdale and would be landing soon, she said that there was a very sick passenger on board.  She asked that everyone stay seated once we landed so the sick person could get off the plane quickly.  Upon landing, once again everyone was asked to stay seated for a moment and they actually did!  An older couple walked quickly from the rear to the front and exited the plane; the lady was wearing a mask.  As soon as they were off, everyone jumped up and the normal circus began.  Not another word was said about it.  

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