As a JW - Did you See Meetings Continue in Spite of Medical Emergencies?

by flipper 55 Replies latest jw friends

  • flipper
    flipper

    I was talking the other day with a fellow board member about medical emergencies occuring at meetings and how we both agreed that we ( while JW's ) had never seen a meeting stop or be cancelled due to medical emergencies experienced by a fellow JW. The WT society trains JW' s to lose their authentic human feelings or any empathy towards others physical or emotional sufferings many times. So many times at meetings , in spite of someone suffering a serious medical emergency it was " the show must go on " type of attitude displayed by congregation elders.

    My first experience at seeing a medical emergency at the kingdom hall was an older sister who had an epileptic attack. She started screaming during a public talk and some elder didn't understand she was having an epileptic attack and he came running up to her telling her to " be quiet " and putting his finger in front of his mouth like saying " shhh ! " . The elder giving the talk just continued on. Really bizarre.

    A life altering experience I had , happened on an assembly part. I was 23 yrs.old and I was sitting on the stage next to an 82 yr.old JW lady who was giving her experience right before me about going through persecution as a JW in World War 2 . After she gave her experience she sat down and it was my turn to go up to the microphone to give my experience. However , this " sister " had a massive heart attack right next to me and she leaned her head on my shoulder ! I tried to rouse her by patting her shoulder but she was out cold . I motioned to a younger " brother " to help me carry her off the stage . We got underneath both of her shoulders and laid her down behind the curtain. The younger " brother " started giving her mouth to mouth rescusitation to no avail. A firefighter rushed from the crowd of 3,000 people and couldn't get her heart going. Then a " sister " who was a registered nurse pushed the fireman off and got her heart going again. But the older lady was brain dead, she had lost too much oxygen and ended up dying .

    As this was all going on behind the curtain- the elder doing the assembly part just kept on going. No comment to the audience whatsoever to acknowledge the medical emergency occuring. He just kept interviewing the other 5 publishers like nothing had happened. Then he called me AND the younger " brother " up still to give our experiences !!! I was told later that my complexion looked so pale when giving my experience that I looked like a ghost ! It was incredibly difficult - as well as I felt " guilty " for giving my experience while this poor older " sister " had just died ! I couldn't understand HOW this elder wouldn't stop the assembly part and just break early for the lunch break - explaining that a medical emergency occured. ! ( It was right before the break )

    It has now been almost 30 years since I experienced this . But I swear to the universe and all the stars - how in the hell can human beings be so calloused that someone can drop dead right beside them and they continue to spew out mind controlled jargon from a platform without blinking an eye ? It's called being under the influence of cult mind control - which many of the 7 million Jehovah's Witnesses are under the influence of today. It's a mental condition known as " dissociative disorder " in which the allegiance of JW's is so strong to the WT society that they are taught to turn off human emotions while worshipping at meetings or anywhere. Nothing can come between that devotion to " listening " at meetings - not even someone dying. Besides - there's ALWAYS the resurrection. How demented is THAT ?

    So I open this up to all of you as well ! Have you observed or heard of Jehovah's Witness meetings continuing on in spite of somebody at a kingdom hall or assembly suffering a medical emergency ?? What have you observed ? Any experiences would be appreciated as this may show how de-sensitized the WT society has influenced JW's today . Thanks for your thoughts and comments on this. Take care, hope all of you are well

  • gubberningbody
    gubberningbody

    I was giving a talk in a hall, when my food poisoning kicked in and I called the bro who introduced me up to the podium, pointed out where I was in the outline and calmly went back in the bathroom and dry heaved my guts out while he finished the talk.

    Then my wife drove me home and I slept it off.

    Never eat olives on a tray which have gone in and out of the fridge a few times.

    One bad olive was all I ate.

  • NewChapter
    NewChapter

    I've seen meetings carry on in spite of medical emergencies---speakers getting sick and passing out---just to have another take his place, etc.

    The thing I don't know is how these things are handled in other groups or churches. I mean---I just don't know the answer to that.

    Any experiences out there with other groups too?

    NC

  • OUTLAW
    OUTLAW

    Hey Flipper..

    Yes I saw it many times..

    Clearly..

    The Speaker on Stage was Out of his Mind..

    No one did anything..

    At WBT$/JW Assemblys the Crowd would Applaud..

    ........................... OUTLAW

  • Snoozy
    Snoozy

    Worse I saw was a sister wetting her self on stage..left a puddle in her chair.

    Does my son locking himself in the bathroom at age 5 and yelling loudly for "Mom" count? Oh yeah, I was in the middle of giving a talk. Afterwards the brother praised me for keeping my cool while they worked to get him out..

    Sister fell off the platform on a chair..asthma attack in a teen..

    Bout it..

    Oops, remembering the elderly that passed out while sitting in the hot sun at assemblies trying to prove they could take anything for Jehovah..

  • man in black
  • ShirleyW
    ShirleyW

    Like you Flipper I've seen two separate cases of an epileptic seizure and one of them was the Bro doing the Watchtower study, they carried him to the back, as they did with the other Bro. who was in the audience, but both meetings just went on. Can't honestly say for sure but, I do hope an ambulance was called !

  • gubberningbody
    gubberningbody

    Oh and a bro giving the talk fell off the stage breaking the podium in the process. 9/11 was called, and he was ok.

  • flipper
    flipper

    GUBBERNING BODY- Food poisoning ? How awful to have that especially giving a talk ! Ick. I'm glad you just went home. And a JW broke a podium ?

    NEW CHAPTER- I would imagine if someone in a church suffered a heart attack , they'd stop or interrupt services to attend to the person with a medical emergency.

    OUTLAW- I agree- the speaker on the stage was out of his mind, literally.

    SNOOZY- Wow. A sister wet herself while giving a talk ? And yes, I remember all the old people sweating in the sun at conventions. Your son got locked in the restroom ? Pretty eventful I'd say.

    MAN IN BLACK- Hi !

    SHIRLEYW- It just amazes me how they can keep the meetings going while someone is experiencing a serious medical emergency. Sometimes it makes you wonder if they WILL send for an ambulance

  • talesin
    talesin

    My older cousin used to take seizures (she was a senior and very unwell) at assemblies and meetings. She always sat at the front, and they would just carry on while she fell on the floor, passed out, and the medical people (we had a male nurse and chiro) would come get her, call an ambulance, and carry her out ... on with the program ...

    My friend's mother was about 45, and had a major hemorrhage during the song in the middle of the Sunday meeting. Her husband led her out of the KH, supporting her while she stumbled, and left a blood trail on the floor. No one stopped singing ....

    " ... nothing to see here folks ... move along .... "

    (just imagine it is Lord Vader saying this, not a Jedi)

    t

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