Narrative Introduction

White was the color of the motionless man as his heart slowed and as mine sped. The intercom announced what I wished to scream, “Code blue, pediatric unit. Code blue.” As I stood outside the patient’s room, I felt the floor tremble and soon my ears heard the nearby heroes before my eyes could cheer for their arrival. Providers rushed to the room like a herd protecting their own. Immediately, numerous hands and legs began to work rhythmically as they collectively saved a life. Dr. Lee and other providers immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation with oxygen support and IV vasopressin and atropine. As the patient’s heart fought to contract blood through his body’s tunnels of life, it was no longer powered by the sinus node it so desperately relied on. His chest went as flat as his heart rate on the cardiac monitor as I watched in shock, yearning to break into the room to help and hoping for a sign of life from the man. The slower the man’s heart worked, the faster the providers worked. Dr. Lee ordered for transcutaneous pacing. I watched as the patient began to look alive again. His vitals began to stabilize and the staff began to relax. As an emergency department volunteer, I was a spectator in cases like these. Though my vision was blurred by tears, I witnessed clearly the miracle of medicine transpire. I briskly walked to the nearby ED lobby and for a second, I thought I saw the patient – but he was younger. “Is my dad going to be okay?”  the patient’s son Mac asked me as he and his mother anxiously sat in the waiting room. His gaze remained fixated on mine as he waited for my answer. He silently nodded his head as if to tell me what he wanted me to say. “He is being taken care of by superheroes,” I said, hoping to ease the six-year-old’s distress. At this moment, he smiled, and I smiled. After an hour of weeping, Mac finally smiled. “I love superheroes!” He exclaimed, and I realized I still loved superheroes too. “I’m going to be one someday,” I told him. So, I pursued a career as a physician. I hope to serve patients like Mac’s father and impact families like them through superhero actions like Dr. Lee’s and his team’s life-saving initiatives. Mac reminded me of the helpless child I was at his age, wishing for someone to tell me that everything will be okay.