..coded black..

Very severe smoke inhalation. That was my case. Ashes and burns covered all over my face. I was lying on the ground, taking the remaining oxygen the earth has provided for me. My lungs are on the verge of collapsing. I was given oxygen via face mask. I inhaled to the deepest breath I can, making sure that it reaches my every alveoli. I heard the ambulance nearing my location. They mounted me up on the stretcher and hurriedly took me to the Emergency Room. I am nearing to my final destination. The clutters and chatters of bystanders and the attending doctors upon my arrival I clearly heard. They put a name tag around my wrist. I  felt the hand opening my eye  to see if my pupil's responding to light. A stethoscope was also placed over my chest, just to confirm that he had made the right assessment. In an ordinary  busy hospital day, in a moment I readied  myself for ,I heard the final diagnosis: Pupil dilated, no heartbeat. Declared arrested.  They put a black bandage around my arm, covered me with white cloth and pushed me to the empty room. In a cold hospital lobby miles away from the people I love, when half of the world is busy with their lives, there I laid lifeless. And in  few minutes that I waited, I heard the voice saying--External Disaster Drill culminated.

This is one of our hospital's enumerable activities in preparation for the accreditation. I was chosen to participate in the drill, I just never expected to be given the role of playing someone who died. So that's how it felt to be coded black, or dead. Though it was only a drill, I still felt my tummy turning back and forth as if today's gonna be my last show on the face of the earth. Steve Job could have been right when he said that dying is a potent change-agent. If you know the end of your time, you'll do the best that you can to LIVE. After the drill, I thanked God for the chance to experience how it is to die. Now I know.=)