Last week, on Maundy Thursday, our church choir was rehearsing in the sanctuary. One member got up a couple times, but then returned. Suddenly, she toppled over. This wasn’t a slumped over as though she had fainted; this was a stiff collapse as though she were a tree being felled by a lumberjack. She was terribly pale. Someone called 911, and while a nurse in a congregation – previously unknown to me – helped others tend to her, I waited for the ambulance.
So as people arrived and said “hi” to me, I was evidently not very responsive. The emergency team treated her, then put her on a gurney and took her to the hospital. a member of the congregation not in the choir, who worked in the hospital, followed her to the facility. Then the choir had tpo sing, which we did, admirably under the circumstances.
As it turns out, the culprits were low potassium and dehydration, which meant low blood volume and low blood pressure. Much to our delight and surprise, she was able to sing on Easter Sunday morning.
There have been other choir incidents though, all of these involving different people over the past couple weeks
* hospitalized with arrhythmia, though out by Easter
* out for six weeks for a surgery, though should be returning today
* family was in a car accident which totaled the vehicle but rendered relatively minimal harm
* on medicine that thinned the blood too much and had had to be briefly hospitalized
* illness
* flu
* broken foot
And during Holy Week, the choir director also had the flu, missing her first Easter in church probably ever. Fortunately, our former acting director was able to step in for both the Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday services.
So say a little prayer (or whatever it is you do) for our hardy little band.
ROG
