So I needed to get this out of my system, I’m kinda not sure how to feel.
I woke up this morning to banging and went out into the hallway to see what it was (apartment). My neighbor’s daughter and husband were trying to break the door down because he was not answering and the door was locked. He has a history of diabetic comas, so this has happened before. I called 911 on my cell phone and helped them break in the door. We went in and were looking for him, and found him slumped over on the toilet. I could tell he was dead, and had been for a while. The person on the phone told us to pull him off and lay him on the floor. The daughter and her husband pulled him off and brought him into the living room and laid him on the floor. On the phone they told me to give him chest compressions and CPR. I relayed this to his daughter and she tried, but she couldent do it. He had blood coming out of his mouth and nose.
I got off the phone and went downstairs to let the EMS in and told them everything. They came in and called code 1 (ODA). I waited for the police to come because they had to talk to me as well. I just came back and took a shower… kind of out of it now…
You did all you could do to help & you should be proud of yourself that you helped your neighbours daughter & her husband get to him!! I know what you saw might stay with you for awhile, but doing things that you like to do & that are routine for you will help get your mind off of it!! If you need someone to talk to, PM me & I’ll offer whatever aid I can to you, ok!!
Witnessing death can be traumatic, not only because it reminds you of your own mortality, but because you could end up torturing yourself wondering if there was anything you could have done to prevent it (in this case, there clearly was not). Icey’s right though: you should be proud that you were able to help. Even something as simple as making a phone call can mean a lot in a situation like that.
It sounds like you’ve been a good neighbor so far. Keep it up by offering condolences and trying to help the widow/daughter, if you can. Whatever happens, you can take solace in knowing you did the right thing.
Witnessing death can be traumatic, especially when it’s someone you know.
To add on to WingZ - don’t blame yourself, cause there was no way you could have known or done anything about it. You did the right, smart, rational thing under the circumstances - you kept your cool and called the right people. You did the right thing. Feeling ‘out of it’ for awhile is normal, but it may help to have a chat with a friend, pastor, or counsellor if you’re having trouble getting over it.