Medical Emergency and My Father's Last Trip

[00:00:15]Hey everyone, this is Greg Robinson with Terminal 2 W. I'm about to join or start a trip from Dallas to Milwaukee and back. It's going to be a two-part trip and it's both bitter and sweet and it's a double-edged sword.

[00:00:30]I'm flying with my father who is a former Sperry senior airline executive for Braniff International and he's the one who got me interested in airlines and he's the one who understood what Terminal 2 W meant.

[00:00:44]And his wife is joining us and we are taking a trip from Dallas to Milwaukee to bury his brother.

[00:00:51]And he and his brother were like this.

[00:00:54]They were trauma bonded or bonded at least in Ohio out of Canton, Ohio.

[00:01:00]And his brothers lived in Wisconsin, which is where the family moved when they were teenagers and my father has lived a variety of places.

[00:01:09]We're going back to Wisconsin to bury his brother, my uncle.

[00:01:13]And [clears throat] it's been an honor to be able to be of service to my dad on this flight cuz it's probably his last flight.

[00:01:20]There's probably not another flight coming. Possibly, but probably not.

[00:01:26]So, I get to join him on his last flight. I get to help him through this funeral and um I get to be a good son, so let's start this trip. Let's get going.

[00:02:07]>> This is the trip where I learned a little bit about what it's like to try and navigate an airline today when you at this point have a bit of a disability.

[00:02:17]It's all been perfectly easy to do provided you planned [music] a lot more than you would even ordinarily do as a planner.

[00:02:43]>> [music] [music] [music] >> I will [snorts] say that I think that airlines are a lot more conscious of people who really do have a mobility problem at this point. [music] I found people to be conscious of what to do and really be more aware of what needed to be done without having to be instructed. [music] And that gives me a little hope for airlines.

[00:03:35]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Getting onto the aircraft and getting settled was much easier than I expected and in no small [music] part due to the man there taking my father's walker.

[00:05:05]He made it easy and he made it gracious and for that I'm grateful.

[00:05:13]>> [music] [music] >> One of American's [music] downsides to the A320 is that they are in fact very old and the cabins have never been refurbished to the standard that all the rest of the narrow body fleet is up to.

[00:05:41]>> [music] [music] >> Taco 440 DFW ground taxi via Juliet Sierra Echo Romeo Kilo Bravo >> Ground 185 on top of the bridge.

[00:06:14]>> 290 Echo Romeo Kilo Bravo Uh 185 on top of the bridge Taco 440 >> Taco 440 taxi instructions are correct ground 85 85 on top of the bridge.

[00:06:27]>> Taxi ground 85 on top of the bridge Taco 440 >> 16 >> 16 >> 440 >> American 1278 DFW ground taxi via runway 17 right taxi [music] via Kilo Echo Golf >> 21 >> 1 touch and go traffic >> American 1278 [music] DFW ground 17 left >> 17 left >> American 1278 DFW give way to company from the right runway 17 [music] right taxi via Kilo Golf >> Kilo Echo Golf 17 right give way to company American 1278 >> Taco 440 7,000 climbing via the 103 >> American 470 turbo prop ready contact >> [music] >> 4245 132021 heading >> 320 1245 >> 4245 7,000 >> Southwest 3963 >> [music] >> Southwest 3963 [music] turn left direct Jack and climb and maintain 15,000 ft.

[00:08:19]Southwest 3963 turn left direct Jack and maintain 15,000 ft. Southwest 3963 >> [music] >> Frontier 53568 go to the departure radar on 120.2.

[00:08:44]>> [music] >> Southwest 3963 continue left to 17,000 and contact center on 120.2. [music] 120.2 Southwest 3963 >> [music] [music] >> 3,000 120.2 >> [music] >> 120.2 Southwest 3963 >> [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Southwest 45 contact center 120.2. Let them know your heading.

[00:09:37]120.2 will be Southwest 45 today.

[00:09:41]>> It was around this point that I thought, "Okay, this is going to get easier. This is going to be possible, and we'll be able to get where we need to go with a certain amount of ease. The hardest part surely must be over, right?"

[00:10:00]>> American 1277, turn left direct Hannah and maintain 10,000.

[00:10:05]>> Left direct Hannah, maintain 10,000. American >> [music] >> Southwest 3963, turn left direct Jack.

[00:10:20]Climb [music] and maintain 15,000.

[00:10:24]>> I'll turn direct to Jack and climb maintain 15,000.

[00:10:28]Southwest 3963.

[00:10:32]>> [music] >> Frontier 53568, 5,000 10,000.

[00:10:39]>> [music] >> Frontier 53568, Boston departure radar contact.

[00:10:45]>> As we entered Missouri and approached St. Louis, my first and my only reaction was, "Okay, we've got about an hour, maybe an hour and 10 minutes, and we'd be there and off the plane, and my father could rest."

[00:11:01]>> Center, American 2363, 350 Smith.

[00:11:05]>> American 2363, Chicago Center, welcome.

[00:11:07]Mostly Smith here, Southwest.

[00:11:13]American 2363, cleared direct Leaden.

[00:11:16]>> Direct Leaden, American 2363.

[00:11:22]Chicago, American 2363, emergency.

[00:11:29]>> American 2363, I'm sorry, say again.

[00:11:31]>> Yeah, we have a medical emergency. We need to divert into O'Hare.

[00:11:40]>> 10:23 63, uh roger, say again.

[00:11:47]10:23 63, descend and maintain 5,000 240.

[00:11:51]>> 240, American 2363.

[00:11:57]>> American 2363, you're cleared direct to the uh O'Hare Airport via direct.

[00:12:02]>> All right, direct to O'Hare, American 2363.

[00:12:13]>> American 2363, uh when you have a moment, um I'll just need to know the age and gender of the patient, um if it was a passenger or crew, and the nature of the emergency.

[00:12:26]>> It is uh American 2363, female passenger, elderly, do not have an exact age, elderly, seat 2A, female.

[00:12:38]>> Roger, and uh do you know what's going on with them?

[00:12:41]>> Unconscious, AED, uh shock administered.

[00:12:45]We've got nurse practitioner on board assisting. Uh we could not contact our physician on call on call.

[00:12:56]>> Roger, thank you, and uh do you need medical attention at the gate as well?

[00:12:59]>> Affirmative.

[00:13:00]>> 10:23 63, contact Chicago Center 135.15, and uh they'll keep you going going to O'Hare.

[00:13:11]>> 3515, American 2363, good day.

[00:13:16]>> American 215, descend and maintain 7,000.

[00:13:19]>> Descend and maintain 7,000, American 215.

[00:13:22]>> American 215, just a heads-up for you, there is an emergency coming in, a medical emergency.

[00:13:27]Uh We might end up uh just taking you off the approach.

[00:13:32]Oh, I'm sorry. I'm actually in the word now. We're going to take you off the approach now.

[00:13:35]So, for now, you localize inbound and maintain 7,000 out for the instruction for you. We're coming in.

[00:13:40]>> All right. So, 7,000 ft track to localize inbound American 250.

[00:13:45]>> American 250 American altitude maintain 8,000.

[00:13:48]>> 8,000 American 250.

[00:13:51]American 2363 7,500 descending 6,000 medical emergency.

[00:13:58]>> American 2363 Chicago approach welcome to runway 10 center.

[00:14:02]>> Thanks.

[00:14:03]Can we get 10 left? That's what we set up for American 2363.

[00:14:07]>> I'm sorry. Say again.

[00:14:08]>> Can we get 10 left American 2363?

[00:14:12]>> Stand by.

[00:14:15]American 2363 affirmative will be runway 10 left.

[00:14:18]>> Thank you.

[00:14:20]>> American 2363 turn 10° right.

[00:14:23]>> 10° right American 2363.

[00:14:27]>> American 2363 to maintain 4,000.

[00:14:30]>> Maintain 4,000 American 2363.

[00:14:35]>> United 770 heavy 5 mile in trail clearance for getting a medical emergency inbound here. Are you Are you going to be too high to come in on the approach?

[00:14:42]>> No, we're good. United 770 heavy.

[00:14:46]>> American 2363 to maintain 2,500.

[00:14:49]>> 2,500 2363.

[00:14:52]>> American 2363 American altitude maintain 4,000.

[00:14:55]>> American 2363.

[00:14:56]>> 4,000 American 2363.

[00:15:02]>> American 2363 to maintain 2,500.

[00:15:06]>> 2,500 American 2363.

[00:15:23]>> American 2363 just advise whenever you get O'Hare in sight. It is 2:00 1.5 mi.

[00:15:29]>> Roger.

[00:15:33]O'Hare in sight American 2363.

[00:15:35]>> American 2363 roger. They'll probably land before you but uh just cross runway 32 left. There'll be heavy traffic on the parallel runway off your right.

[00:15:42]>> Roger.

[00:15:47]>> American 2363 turn right direct to marker and uh speed to your discretion.

[00:15:52]>> Right to Buckeye American 2363.

[00:15:57]>> American 2363 cleared visual approach runway 10 left.

[00:16:01]>> Cleared visual 10 left American 2363.

[00:16:06]And uh American 2363 confirm medical personnel's going to meet us at terminal 14 correct?

[00:16:13]>> I will verify.

[00:16:24]>> All right, get ready. It's about to hit.

[00:16:27]About 10 seconds.

[00:16:27]>> American 2363 off my radio they got the medical personnel all standing by for you. You can contact ground tower 132.7 works.

[00:16:33]>> 327 thanks so much American 2363.

[00:16:39]>> All right, brace yourselves.

[00:16:41]Brace.

[00:17:04]>> Welcome to Chicago ladies and gentlemen on our diverted flight.

[00:17:09]Every effort >> 1663 over a medical emergency. Just hold short of alpha 7 when you get there please.

[00:17:15]>> We'll call hold short of alpha 7 in about 2 minutes.

[00:17:18]1663.

[00:17:18]>> Will be to do so. we would humbly ask that you keep your safety belts fastened and do remain >> Hey everyone, this is Greg Robinson.

[00:18:08]I just witnessed a woman have a severe heart attack on a plane.

[00:18:16]I mean, it was bad.

[00:18:18]And I'm pausing cuz it really still has an impactful moment and it was something it was really something else to watch play out. Now, I'll have more sorted thoughts. I will say this, I was quite proud of my father's wife who was traveling with me and my father.

[00:18:34]She jumped up and started taking care of that woman like somebody right out of the TV show ER.

[00:18:40]It was um impressive and uh I'm sure she's exhausted as soon as she gets over her adrenaline.

[00:18:50]A lot of good people on that plane. The flight attendants were working their tails off. Uh the there was another physician on the plane, he killed it.

[00:18:58]Everybody was doing exactly what they needed to do.

[00:19:03]Except for one woman who kept insisting on standing up as we were landing and trying to shield this woman's privacy.

[00:19:09]Just let me give you guys a hint. When your life is at risk, whether or not somebody sees you in your underwear just doesn't matter.

[00:19:19]And when you're landing like that, sit the hell down.

[00:19:24]Be smart.

[00:19:25]All right, more later. Bye-bye.

[00:19:27]By this time we felt very tense and tired. It felt like we had just really been through quite a shock and none of us felt good about the shape that woman was in. My father's wife was just riding in adrenaline [music] come down that was pretty large for her, too.

[00:19:46]She had been on high alert doing everything she could for more than an hour.

[00:19:54]>> [music] [music] [music] >> In Dallas, the joke often goes that you land in Austin and then taxi back to Dallas. Here in Chicago, I think you land in Rockford and then you taxi all the way into Chicago.

[00:20:47]>> [music] >> Yeah.

[00:21:53]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> I appreciate you helping me out.

[00:22:51]>> [music] [music] >> Who would like to be the first to welcome you to Milwaukee?

[00:23:27]>> What is the current time? It's 9:50 p.m.

[00:23:30]As a reminder, please stay seated when your seatbelt sign is on and your seatbelt is on.

[00:23:36]>> [music] [music] >> Exiting the aircraft, it did seem like there was a bit of camaraderie going on amongst the passengers who were up front and witnessed to the tragedy that happened to that woman.

[00:24:12]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Yep.

[00:24:44]I repeat, your stuff is my stuff.

[00:24:53]That was something else.

[00:24:56]I'm making my way out of the I'm going to get a rental car, get to my hotel. I'll regroup there.

[00:25:04]But for the moment, we're here, hours late.

[00:25:09]That's okay. Somebody needed the time.

[00:25:18]At this moment, I'd like to point something out. When you fly American Airlines into Milwaukee, you should expect a fairly long walk. American occupies gates at the very end of a long terminal, and it's quite a journey down to baggage and even the rental car agency.

[00:25:38]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> The thing that I like most about Hilton Garden Inn is the absolute consistency.

[00:27:05]A lot of feelings about this trip.

[00:27:08]It was a trip that I had to plan very carefully in order to accommodate my father. He has trouble He has an enormous amount of pain in his back and he has trouble walking.

[00:27:18]Surprisingly strong in his upper body strength though.

[00:27:23]And so I made a lot of plans.

[00:27:26]We had wheelchairs meet us. Although the wheelchair guy brought a wheelchair to my dad and then left because he was about to be off shift.

[00:27:35]And no one showed up and a lady at the American Airlines customer service suggested we could just wait where we were until 3:00 p.m. and somebody would come take care of it. Mind you, it was 2:30.

[00:27:50]So I took charge and I pushed the wheelchair and we got him through security and the truth is is we got him through very fast.

[00:27:58]So all looked good. We got him into the Admiral's Club and everything looks better.

[00:28:03]And then we got another wheelchair attendant to went to the aircraft and took off and again everything went well.

[00:28:10]The flight was going fast.

[00:28:12]And then this poor woman this poor elderly woman who turns out was going to Milwaukee to sell her condo to move back to her kids has a major medical event inside the lavatory.

[00:28:29]And it's so bad that the flight attendants are rushing around and banging into things. I noticed pretty quickly something was wrong and then they asked for a physician and coincidentally my father's wife who's traveling with us she's a physician.

[00:28:44]They spent 50-55 minutes doing chest compressions on her.

[00:28:48]She and another doctor and the two flight attendants were taking turns and it was an exceptional effort. And I'm told that the lady had some pulse when she left the airplane.

[00:29:02]So, we pray for her tonight.

[00:29:05]Um it's really something to witness that. The I have a few things to say that are going to come off as little harsh, but I'm going to say them anyway.

[00:29:14]There was a passenger who decided that it was her job to guard the modesty of this elderly woman as her clothes were removed so they could work on her.

[00:29:24]To some degree, I don't mind that when we're in level flight, but she was told by the flight attendant a few times, "Go and sit down."

[00:29:31]And she decided that she was in charge of guarding the modesty and kept saying, "I'm I'm keeping her privacy."

[00:29:39]So, I want to say a couple things. When somebody's in a medical emergency like that, whether somebody's shooting video for TikTok or everybody's leaving alone, it doesn't matter.

[00:29:51]Body modesty is not important and that woman, if she survives, isn't going to be humiliated by someone who took a picture.

[00:30:05]But more importantly and what upset me was is my father's wife with whom I'm close, she was sitting there on the on the floor trying to attend to this woman as we were coming in for a landing and this lady kept insisting to the flight attendant that she was going to guard this woman's modesty. And I'm getting a little sarcastic in part because what she didn't allow for, what she didn't accommodate for, was the fact that when that plane landed, she was going to go flying and likely flying right into the back of my father's wife and the other physician physician [music] or possibly a flight attendant and possibly hurt people.

[00:30:43]So, I have a message out there.

[00:30:45]When a flight attendant tells you to do something like that, when a flight attendant tells you to sit down, take your seat, and mind your own business during an emergency, do it.

[00:31:00]Everybody thinks they're in charge of something, and they're not. The only people who were in charge there were two flight attendants and two physicians.

[00:31:07]That's it.

[00:31:08]Do what they say.

[00:31:11]Don't argue. Don't try and guard somebody's modesty. Don't try and do anything. Stay out of the way.

[00:31:18]It's also noticeable that everybody got up and started to crowd towards this woman as soon as we got to the gate, and enough so that I finally spoke up and said, "Go sit down."

[00:31:28]Which is what the pilot, the captain, and the flight attendants had already said.

[00:31:33]Give them some space.

[00:31:35]When the EMTs come on board, they're going to need all that space. So, go sit down and mind your business.

[00:31:42]My father's looking back at me like, "Who's that guy?"

[00:31:46]But, here's the thing. If that woman's to have a chance, stay out of the way.

[00:31:53]You're not helping.

[00:31:55]Gawking, or holding up the cloths, or trying to prevent her modesty is not helping her.

[00:32:01]It's not.

[00:32:03]Getting in the way of people who are trying to be treatment providers, that is not helping her.

[00:32:09]So, I hope this woman has survived. I don't care about her modesty. I do care that her her life was saved.

[00:32:19]And that's all you should care about.

[00:32:22]This is Greg with Terminal 2 W. If you like our videos, please like, comment, and subscribe. And I'm sorry for the harsh content at the end of this film, but I think it's necessary.

[00:32:35]Thanks for watching.

[00:32:37]There'll be more.

[00:32:39]Good night.

[00:32:47]>> [music]