DONNATIPPETTHERE
A39-year-oldwomanwascaught
dumpingatrampolineand
mattress in woodland near her
home in Plymstock, Devon, and
washit withacourtbill for £1,000.
Her namewasDonna Tippett.
D.Mirror,D.Star, 23 Nov 2019.PLUMMET #
When LindaTa ylor-Whitt and
her family returned home to
Lynwood, Illinois,on5October,
they foundawheel lodged in the
bathroom ceiling. SummerSkyz,
Inc.,aflight school operating
ahelicopter at Lansing airport
nearby,tooktheblame.The wheel
wasfrom machinery used to
movehelicopters between airport
hangers and had somehow stayed
attached to the chopper before
falling off aboveher home.[UPI] 8
Oct 2019.PLUMMET #
In late Octoberawomanwasin
her house in Brailes,Warwickshire,
when she heard“astrange loud
thud”.Achunk ofyellow metal
casing had fallen from an American
B-52 based at RAF Fairford,
Gloucestershire,andslammed
into her frontgarden.Sun, 30 Oct
2019.RODENT HELL
On8October,authoritiesseized
320 rats fromavan near Del Mar
in San Diego,California. They had
clawed into upholstery,burrowed
into seats and gnawed engine
wiring. The woman who lived
in thevanstarted with just two
petrats; butrats can givebirth
every four weeks and produce a
dozenyoung inalitter. The woman
acknowledged things had got out
of control. More than 100rats were
ready for adoption. The woman,
meanwhile,foundanew place to
stay.[AP] 18 Oct 2019.6 FTA34-year-oldwoman whose heart
stoppedforarecordsix hourswas
brought back to lifeby doctors
in aBarcelonahospital.Audrey
Schoeman, an Englishteacher
born inKent but whoresides in
the Spanish citywas hiking in
the Pyrenees with her husband
Rohan Schoeman,36, on 3
November 2019.They became lost
duringablizzard and sheltered
behindarockfor severalhours,
whereRohan managed to phone
friends and alert emergency
services.
By thistime,Audrey had
no pulse–hypothermia had
triggered cardiac arrest.When
rescuersreachedher at around
3.40pm, shewasdisplaying no
vitalsigns;nevertheless,when
she arrived by air ambulance
at Barcelona’sVall d’Hebron
Hospital at 5.45pm,her body
temperaturewas 18°C (64.4°F),
half the normal 37°C (98.6°F),and
in addition, her lungsand kidneys
were failing.Nevertheless,
doctorsthought therewas aslim
chance of survival –because the
hypothermia had set in prior to
the cardiacarrest,theyhoped
herfrozenbrain mightnot have
deteriorated duringthe period
it wasnot receiving blood (or
oxygen),since, effectively in a
state of suspended animation, it
required neither.
Theyhooked her up to an
ECMO (extracorporeal membrane
oxygenation, akaalifesupport
machine), whichreplacesthe
functionsofthe heartand lungs.Thepatient’s blood is pumped
from their bodytoanartificial
lung wherecarbondioxideis
removedand oxygen added, then
pumped backinto the body. In
this case, theingoing bloodwas
gentlywarmed so thather body
temperaturegraduallyincreased.
When itreached 30°C (86°F),
medicsattempted to start her
heart again usingadefibrillator,
eventually succeeding at 9.46pm
–atleast six hoursafter she
had first lostconsciousness.
Shewas heavilysedatedfor
48 hoursbut woke three days
later andbegan talking, leaving
hospitalafter11 days withno
apparent side-effects otherthan
some sensitivity and mobility
difficulties withherhands.
Dr EduardArgudo,who
led the medical team, said:
“This is anexceptional
case, the longest cardiac
arrestever recorded
in Spain.Thereare
practically no casesof
peoplewhose hearts
have stoppedfor
so long and
have been
able to berevived”. Audrey Schoemann
recalls littleof herrescue.
“The moreIlearn the more
miraculous it seems”,she said.
“I’mincrediblylucky.Ifeel so
incrediblygrateful toall the
doctors,medics andresc ue
teams”.Despite her brush with
death, she iskeen to gomountain
hiking againassoonasshe isable.
Earlierin2019,Joao Araujo,48,
from Linden, Gloucester,baffled
doctorsafterbeingadmitted to
hospitalwithacardiac arrest,
which occurred suddenlyashe
drovehis wife towork (FT386:20).
Medics attempted torevive Mr
Araujo, at the timealorry driver,
withinjections and CPR,but after
six hourstheypronouncedhim
dead. As hewasbeing wheeled
to themorgue, nurses spotted
signs of movement–and tests
indicated that his circulation had
somehowreturned. Heremained
in acomafor three days,and
doctorswarnedrelativesthat
his brainmightbepermanently
damaged due toalackofoxygen
over a21-minute period.He
woke up,initiallyconfusedand
disorientated, but after twoweeks
his condition had dramatically
improved such thathewas
dischargedand returned towork
aweeklater.
Themedicalteamresponsible
forMrAraujo’scarehad no
exactexplanation,recording
“spontaneousreturn of
circulation”onhis notes. On the
cardiacwardat Gloucestershire
RoyalHospital, he became known
as ‘Miracle Man’. He saidofhis
mysteriousreturn from death: “It
changed me.Isay thankyouthat
Iamalive,thankyouthatIhave
ajob”.
Anotherstrange casewas
observed duringastudyina
Canadian intensive care
unit wherefour terminal
patientshadtheir
life support systems
switched off.One
of them showed
persistent brain
activityformorethan
10 minutes,despite
clinical death being
pronounced
based on
several
observations,SIDELINES...MARTIN ROSS
Moresoulsturnedaway
BACK FROM THE DEAD from thePearlyGatesVA
LL’D’HEBRON HOSPITALWhenrescuersreached her,shewas displayingno vital signsSTRANGEDAYSABOVE:AudreySchoeman celebrates her“miraculous”recovery from cardiac arrest
with Dr EduardArgudo.BELOW:‘Miracle Man’Joao Araujo madeasimilar comeback.