[Touran]

I work at a Ruby Tuesday. I just recently acquired the job thanks to a few friends of mine who were able to pull some weight and get me in. I've worked there all of two weeks now, and hardly know the staff currently employed.

This person who honestly looked a few years older than myself had apparently been working at the restaurant since it opened, about 8 years ago. He was a co-worker who I barely knew and the extent of my contact with him was seeing the Transformers movie on opening day. He apparently enjoyed the whole Transformers shtick and loved the movie, which is moreso than I could say.

At any rate, I show up for work - 5 PM to Close, and he's there. He has the same shift as I do, except he seems a little more happy about it than I am. I find out that the reason he's excited is that he's at his target weight. He weighs less currently than he did in highschool. (He is under 200lbs) He's pretty ecstatic about this. On monday, he's going to a sushi place with some people from work and his friends. I get invited along and I agree to go, it sounds like fun and I like sushi on occasion. The time goes by uneventfully and we start closing early since the place is empty.

I walk out front to mop some areas, when we all get called into the kitchen to help lift him up. He's passed out on the kitchen floor. I'm one of the smaller guys, so I watch as they lift him into the dining room. I push some chairs and tables out of the way while they lie him down in a booth. His hands are clutching tightly at his sides and his breathing is shallow. This is about the 3rd or 4th time I've seen someone collapse for no apparent reason, (not counting alcohol consumption), and remark that he will probably be alright. The other staff called 911 and I find out he's passed out like this at least once before. As we wait for the paramedics, his breathing stops, and his clenched fists relax. He's very pale. The firedept. and a police cruiser show up first and rush inside. They administer rudimentary CPR and pull him onto a stretcher and cart him off in something. I didn't see which vehicle they put him in. The firedept. and some other volunteer force which showed up speed off towards our local hospital. The policewoman stays behind and talks to the staff. She tries to reassure everyone that he will be alright, but when questioned about whether he started breathing again, she remarked he did not. "I just watched a man kill himself tonight" was the only thought running through my mind.
We went back to our jobs, cleaning up the restaurant, etc.

The manager calls us all together after a few minutes. Andrew died at the hospital, he tells us.

...

I just got off work, and I have to open the place in about 8 hours. I only know the person's first name, Andrew. I was going to celebrate his weight loss with him on monday. I've known Andrew for less than a week. I'm going to drink a bit and maybe play some videogames. I may call in sick tommorrow.
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Man, I'm sorry.

[DonMarco]

[Hot Stott Bot]

[Touran]

He was on a severe diet, he lost about 180lbs in a short period of time.
His body just shut down is what I was told.
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Man, I'm sorry.

[Hot Stott Bot]

Oh damn... that's so... silly... it is rather sad... mainly because there's no reason he couldn't probably have been on just as restrictive a diet but healthily with the right supplements and stuff...

:sigh:

[DonMarco]

That makes more sense. I've been 180-220 since high school. The lowest I've been was 165 back in my "starving in Jaypan days" a few years back. In the first three months I was back in teh states, I gained 40 pounds. Which is nice. I can now lift more serious weights and have a more upbeat attitude. 210 is probably my ideal, and if I ever get back down to 200 I'll probably seek medical attention.

Does this whole experience make you want to learn CPR, Touran?
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Still alive.

[Ebrey]

Wow, that sucks. I don't really understand extreme weight fluctuations like that. No one should ever quickly lose 180 pounds, nor should they ever have 180 pounds to shed.

[sawtooth]

toups post itt we're really worried about you D:
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[Touran]

[another god]

A lot of doctors don't really know CPR. They'd wing it out of a feeling of responsibility, though, and since they know a little about the body they'd probably be able to pull it off. Rescue teams, though, they do it daily so they'd probably do a better job. Well, professional ones in big cities.

Touran - would you say you would have expected your response? I'm asking because I imagine I'd be a little stoic in this case, but maybe only out of shock and not knowing what to do instead of really being emotionless...
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interdimensional

[Ashura]

Sad to hear, Touran.

I knew a guy, actually, I was enemies in highschool with. I say that kind of loosely... he was two years younger than me, and, pretty much worthless at antagonizing me. But he tried, and tried, and tried for the two years our highschool overlapped, and it was a real pain in the ass just from annoyance factor than anything.

On the walk home from the bus, he generally tried to start fights with me. I would inevitably pin him to the ground, punch him a few times, and then let him go. I never really hurt him too badly, and It went like this for a while. Try, punch, try, punch. He annoyed the hell out of me, and I was thankful when I graduated so I didn't have to deal with his lame bullshit anymore. I was one of those guys who'd rather be left alone than start fights, to be honest, and I'd avoid it if possible- But the kid would never quit. It was pretty sad.

I learned 3 or 4 years after I graduated that he was messing with his stereo while driving at one point, and then crashed into the side of a bus and killed himself. I still felt bad for him despite his shit, and moreso for his mom, since she was a really nice person despite her son being a prick in highschool.

[The Blueberry Hill]

Isn't it mandatory to have at least one person who knows first aid always on shift? Or did those girls count?
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MYSTERY ADVENTURE START..

[internisus]

I spent a large part of high school working to stop this girl I knew from hurting herself and attempting suicide, and less than a year after graduation I found out that she crashed and died while driving in heavy rain.

[Krabjuice Gaiden]

[Ebrey]

[DJ]

[Ebrey]

[Touran]

Just got off work, was scheduled for a double today. It was rather depressing there as 90% of the staff have been there since the place opened, including Andrew. They all knew him pretty well so there was little I could do or say to comfort anyone, being so new to the place. Really, a strange time all around.

There's a jar up for donations to help pay for his funeral, I'm going to put some part of my paycheck in there.

As for whether there needs to be someone on shift at all times that can perform CPR, I have no idea if that's a law. But if I had to say anything, I would go with that the girls would be considered the designated people.

[elvis.shrugged]

[Broco]

Since you say you barely knew the guy, there's no reason to expect you'd feel really sad about it. Not that I'm a grief expert but it sounds to me like your response has been pretty normal.

[another god]

Well, I'm a pretty sympathetic guy, so it really weirds me out when people die and I don't really feel anything. When three of my grandparents died I felt little to no emotions for weeks. It wasn't until I was at the funeral house for a couple hours did I feel anything, and then it came out.

There's really nothing to feel ashamed about how you responded to a person you barely know dying. You tried your best to help out the situation, that's above what anyone is expected to do.
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interdimensional

[Toptube]

the only time I've ever seen someone die was at a professional motocross event. I don't remember his name but this rider was like 36 or something (oooold for the sport) and a big deal was made at how he was still riding. he finished third in the race. a group of people (me included) followed him from the finish line into the pits. as he crossed the gate into the pit area with people and press around him, he collapsed off of his bike and was dead.

[alice]

I've forgotten every bit of CPR I leraned in high school. It was mandatory and it was the only mandatory piece of crap that I actually wanted to go through. Which is ironic that I forgot all of it.

[Aaron]

Don't use it, you lose it. True for most things really.

Had a similiar experience with a co-worker on a different shift. Not much more than a kid really, in college, didn't believe in bathing because he always stank. It was a bit hard to keep from cringing, especially when the office still stank for a half hour after. He was fairly forgetful. Left his winter coat behind one weekend. He had some minor medical condition, and ended up dying in his bed after a night of drinking. Hard to know how to feel in that situation. He was generally a nice guy, but I never thought very well of him because of the smell, and I can't santize the image left in my mind.

His coat stayed in the office for six months after.

[nothingxs]

When my grandfather died, I was pretty much the only one who was emotionally "blank" for some time. I think this was more out of a conscious choice to "be strong" for everyone else than anything else, though.
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select button
i've gotta let go. i've gotta get straight. why'd you have to make it so hard? let me get away.
3DSFC 1736-1476-0518

[Ebrey]

[Touran]

On Monday I went with a few other employees to the hibachi/sushi place they were going to go to with Andrew. The food there was great, and a few of us ate his favorite kind of sushi in honor of him. Turns out he really enjoyed squid.

I donated some money to the funeral fund.

His family has asked that his coworkers not attend, explaining that they want everyone to remember him the way he was and not how he ended up.

The company has hired a psychiatrist for anyone that would like to talk some help in dealing with the situation. I declined the offer.

That's pretty much the end of this story.
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Man, I'm sorry.

[Wilkes]

a snotty, rich girl -- a social leader -- from my high school who used to make fun of me for playing game boy in english and being fat my junior year died driving drunk, bringing a puppy to her boyfriend.

I thought it was awesome, but I'm not really a very good person.

my friend and I hugged and laughed and talked of fairness.

[another god]

[Waffen]

[nothingxs]