The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to get caught up in the spin cycle and let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week, we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good.
This week’s Something Good is an awesome story dedicated to my daughter, who is a huge fan of The Office and puts the “fan” in fanatic.
Cross Scott, a 21 year-old shop technician in Tuscon, Arizona, is a bona fide hero, although he shrugs off that label.
The Arizona Daily Star describes him as a hard-working, tall, lanky chivalrous young man who opens doors for ladies and calls them “ma’am”. He says his mother died of cancer when he was 16, so now, when he sees a woman in trouble, he tries to help and does so for his mom.
For instance, Cross stops to help drivers having car troubles whenever he can, but especially if it is a woman in need. So, on January 11, while test driving a customer’s car, when he saw a car sitting on the side of the road, hazard lights blinking, he pulled over to assist.
The female driver was slumped unconscious in the driver’s seat, door locked. He broke the window with a rock to get to her, took her pulse and found none. Now, Mr. Scott had to drop out of high school school to help his father support their family when his mother died and had no training in CPR. But he knew the woman needed immediate help. So he straddled her and started CPR, to the best of his ability.
He says that as he did, the episode of The Office where Michael Scott “helps” the Red Cross teacher instruct his employees in CPR by singing “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees, popped into his head. Cross sang the song’s chorus aloud while giving chest compressions, using the tempo of the song as a guide, and picturing Michael Scott’s face from the episode as he did.
That 2009 episode is, of course, is a class in how absolutely not to give CPR, but, the song’s rhythm remains the correct guide for giving chest compressions. One of the most memorable episodes of the entire series guided a young man in saving a woman’s life ten years later.
Scott, who ironically shares a last name with the show’s main character, gave CPR for about a minute before the woman started breathing on her own. Paramedics arrived a few minutes later and took her to the hospital. Cross checked on the woman after finishing his shift, but could only find out that she had already been released from the hospital.
He shrugs off being called a hero, saying the real heroes are the paramedics who save people everyday. But, I think Cross Scott’s mother would call her son a hero, for saving a woman’s life and for bringing attention to the help that anyone can give in a similar situation.
While taking a CPR course is a great idea, one need not be certified to save a life – something Cross Scott’s actions prove. And who knows if another life might be saved as this story makes the rounds and puts Michael Scott singing “Stayin’ Alive” in people’s minds once again.
If you aren’t familiar with the scene from The Office, or are and want to laugh again, you can watch it here and think about how humor can be a great way to teach a serious concept.
Now it’s your turn… Tell me something good!
