Thanksgiving drama

Coming home from a holiday weekend out of state, my boyfriend John and I pulled in to an International House of Pancakes in Barstow, to use the restrooms. After battling a horrible case of diarrhea John was in a desperate need to relieve himself once more.

We entered the IHOP and went straight to the restrooms. After I was finished I sat in a nearby booth to wait for him.  John came out of the bathroom twice and had to go right back in.

I heard John exit the restroom for the third time and immediately he collapsed to the floor. I rushed to him and found John laying flat on his face with his eyes wide open and blood coming from his forehead. The first thing that entered my mind was "He is dead."

It took all my strength and the help of a waitress to turn him over because he was stiff as a board and wouldn't move.  The next thing I know, there are people all around screaming "Call 911!" and yelling from the back, "Who knows CPR?"

When paramedics arrived, I was pulled away and questioned about what drugs he was using. I persistently told them none, that he had a terrible case of diarrhea. They insisted that this was not normal and questioned again what drugs he was using.

The medics were so concerned they called in a helicopter to transport him to the San Bernardino County Trauma Center.

The medics refused to let me go in the helicopter; they said there was only enough room for the one person. So I drove 60 miles in Vegas-Thanksgiving traffic. The thought of losing someone so close to me was torture as I drove. Three hours later I arrived at the county trauma center to find John still loopy, but more like himself.

John was diagnosed with Salmonella, a.k.a. Ecoli, which caused his horrible case of diarrhea, making him extremely dehydrated, faint and which caused him to injure his head.

John is fine now and can laugh about the whole thing. This Thanksgiving provided an experience that I will never forget. It not only brought me closer to my boyfriend, but it helped me understand just how much he means to me.

It was amazing to me just how fragile life really is. One minute you can be talking about your weekend and what you want to do for Christmas and the next minute you can be wishing for the survival of a loved one. After reflecting on my experience, I added one more thanks to my Thanksgiving list.

Jessica Sorensen is a senior public relations major at Cal State Long Beach.