Too close for comfort

It was a night that started,

Just like any other,

Then without warning,

My night turned sour.

Felt a tingle in my chest,

A pain in my gut,

I needed to get out,

Get out of this rut.

As my lungs screamed for air,

I thought this can't be it,

For some unknown reason,

I just refused to quit.

I used to give up,

Had lost my will to fight,

Until I was forced to,

Fight for my life.

Keeping my eyes open,

Just simply staying awake,

Was probably the biggest trial,

I've ever had to face.

That was the night,

I'll never forget,

I was too close for comfort,

Too close to my death.

Angela M OBrien

03/01/2012

This poem is very real and very personal. On January first 2012 at 12:03am I lost myself. I couldnt breathe, I had no feeling in my left side and I could barely stay awake. I was rushed to emergency and the doctor told me I started to hyperventilate because my body thought I was dying. It scared the fuck out of me to know that if not for a few really good friends with an ability to think fast under stress there is a very real chance that I wouldnt be here anymore. So a big thank you to Emily Wilson, Samantha Day, Ellen Bell, Matthew Hopgood and Danni Bennett for helping me that night. Even the smallest of tasks can make the biggest difference when someone you love has put their life on the line.