avatarAli Hall

Summary

A first responder follows their gut instinct to help an elderly man with dementia, Fred, who is found wandering near a motorway late at night, potentially saving his life.

Abstract

The narrative recounts a harrowing day in the life of a first responder, who, after dealing with the tragic death of a young mother, encounters a gut feeling to stop and assist a figure seen walking along a desolate road. This figure turns out to be Fred, an elderly man with advanced dementia who had wandered away from his care home. Despite the late hour and the responder's own exhaustion, the decision to intervene leads to Fred's safety and return to his care home. The story underscores the importance of listening to one's intuition and the potential life-saving consequences of doing so. It also touches on the science behind gut instincts, citing neuroscientists and neuroendocrinologists who explain the gut's role in decision-making and emotional responses.

Opinions

  • The author emphasizes the significance of gut instincts, suggesting they should not be ignored, even in the face of personal inconvenience or fatigue.
  • The narrative reflects on the privilege of safety and the emotional toll of emergency work, juxtaposing the responder's life with the vulnerability of those they help, like Fred and a young girl who has lost her mother.
  • The author posits that gut instincts may be more reliable than rational thought processes, as they are less likely to be clouded by doubt and overthinking.
  • The article suggests that gut feelings can manifest physically and emotionally, and these sensations are important signals that should guide our actions.
  • The author concludes that gut instincts are crucial for personal preservation and decision-making, akin to a warning light that should not be overlooked.

This One Time When I Abducted an Elderly Gentleman and Saved His Life

Learn to listen to your gut instincts and tune in to your spidey senses

Photo by Bahram Bayat on Unsplash

The whole situation is futile. But I have to try.

I continue giving CPR, desperate to hear her breathe. Willing her to come around. I try frantically to save her, but I fail. The paramedic signals for me to stop.

“She’s gone”

Looking at the giggling 3-year-old, I wilt. Her face contorts with excitement at the commotion; the uniforms and the carnage. She is oblivious to her world turning upside down and inside out in that very split second.

Addiction, you are a thief! You stole her mummy. Will life be a vicious circle? My heart lies heavily in my chest.

Journey Home

We can’t control our gut instincts. Sometimes they show up at the most inconvenient of times. I am exhausted; emotionally and physically. It’s been one torturous shift. A hot shower and bed are calling. I can escape into the privilege of my life and do it all again tomorrow.

The rain bounces off my car roof. The reflection of my headlights cast a foggy gaze engulfed by the dark of the night. I slow down to react to the limited visibility. The hypnotic effects of the lights with the rain wreak havoc with my mind.

My thoughts return to her face. Her excited shrieks as we enter the flat. I’m glad she is too young to understand. But, she will look for her mummy. Once the circus of uniform and strangers leaves the building, she will seek comfort from her mummy. And then the confusion will set in, followed by despair. Her whole life trajectory is altering course, whilst I drive home thinking.

And here I am in the comforts of my own car, the heating is on. My loved ones are safe. My privilege ignites my guilt.

I indicate right and mid maneuver, a figure up ahead catches my eye.

Silhouettes and Ghosts

I tell myself I am tired and try and convince myself to drive on. But my gut is screaming at me to stop. I must go back. Something isn’t right. I can feel it in my bones. I tell myself it is just my imagination and to drive on. But my instincts take control of my muscles and I screech to a stop.

There is no one else around. The roads are desolate.

This figure I think I saw, why was it there? It shouldn’t be there. I think to myself. There is no reason for anyone to be walking there. That stretch of road only leads towards a motorway. This is not a pedestrian-friendly road.

I consider my options. I know my colleagues in the Police are already fully committed. It’s the middle of the night on a Friday evening, it’s already frantic for the emergency services. I could dial 999, but it would not merit an emergency response. And then what?

It is not an option to ignore this and continue on my way. My gut instinct tells me something is seriously out of sorts. My only option is to return. To take my chances on who and what I may meet.

Abduction Is a Crime but Artful Persuasion Is Not

I reassure myself if the figure looks like a murderer I can continue driving past. I don’t have to stop. But my gut is still having a tantrum. It’s telling me something is wrong and I need to check in on this figure. It will not settle.

The figure is still there. I can’t quite make it out, but it looks male. He’s tall and stocky. He doesn’t look like he is stumbling, so I rule out intoxication and injury. But he is big!

My heart thumps as I ease off the accelerator and draw closer. I am all set to drive on. This is a man-mountain beside me. He is positively huge. He looks like he could lift my car up in one fell swoop if I don’t speed up. He turns his head sideways to look into the car. I expect to see fangs and fire in his eyes.

The face of a gentle, confused, elderly man searches for a sign of life within my car. I jerk to a stop, yank up the handbrake and jump out into the downpour.

I gently escort Fred into the passenger seat. His head almost reaches the ceiling and I fold his legs in front of him.

He is completely unaware of the rain despite being drenched through. His hands are the size of small shovels. I take them in mine and try to thaw out the blocks of ice.

He can’t tell me where he has been, or how long he has been out. He is unable to say where he has come from, but he says he is walking home. The address he gives me no longer exists. My gut tells me Fred has dementia.

Every so often he voices his confusion at being sat in a car with a random person. I reassure him, I soothe his worries and I ask him questions about his life to distract him.

I drive him to the nearest Police Station, where I manage to make him a hot drink and find a couple of officers to take him into their care. I task them with contacting the ambulance service to check him over, establishing where he lives, and returning him home safely.

As I drive away from Fred, my gut tells me I saved his life.

It turns out, Fred was a missing person. A few hours before the universe took me to him, his care home reported him missing. He has advanced dementia.

Learn To Listen to Your Gut Instinct

It was a chance sighting. One wrong step and Fred could have been lying face down in the ditch beside the road. Or struck by a passing car. Either way, he would not have survived much longer in these treacherous weather conditions.

If I hadn’t listened to my gut, Fred could be dead!

But what exactly is a gut instinct?

It is a sense of knowing without having all the information. It is like a sixth sense, similar to intuition.

Dr. Tara Swart, neuroscientist and author of The Source describes the scientific explanation of a gut instinct as “Your gut feelings are a combination of your gut bacteria communicating directly to your brain via chemical messengers in the blood (cytokine transmission) and the gut neurons connection to the limbic (emotional and intuitive) part of the brain”

Dr. Deepak Chopra is a neuroendocrinologist, in this video, he explains the gut has its own nervous system, which is potentially more powerful than the central nervous system. He suggests we can trust our gut more so than our brain as it hasn’t developed to the extent of doubting its own thinking as yet.

Fascinatingly our gut makes the same chemicals as our brain does when we think.

Language Of Our Gut

Our gut instincts have different ways of communicating with us. It is our role to listen. In this situation, I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach. I had a sense of knowing that something was untoward. And this sense of knowing was too strong to ignore and push to the back of my mind. I had to act on it. As soon as I turned around, I knew I was doing the right thing.

This article breaks down the physical and emotional symptoms as:

Physical symptoms

  • sinking sensation in the pit of our stomach
  • tightening of the heart
  • butterflies in our stomach
  • goosebumps
  • sweating

Emotional symptoms

  • flash of clarity
  • a feeling of peace or happiness once making a decision
  • repeated thoughts

In the short time between seeing Fred, as a figure on the road, and feeling my stomach churning and the pull to return to check on him, I didn’t have time to logically process the situation in my brain. But my gut had already assessed the situation in a split second and was pushing me into action.

Find Peace and Follow Your Gut

It seems our gut instincts are important in preserving both our life and the lives of people around us. They help direct us to situations we will thrive in. They advise us on who to spend time with and who to avoid. They help us choose a romantic partner. They influence our decision-making when considering our life choices.

Our gut instinct may be difficult to discern or predict. They may flag us down in the most inconvenient of times. They may arise when we have had a difficult day at work and all we want is a shower and our bed. But think of them as a red warning light on our car dashboard. We wouldn’t continue driving at full speed with a red warning light, would we?

When our gut instincts flash us down, it’s time to pay attention.

Thanks for reading Ali Hall

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