Hollis Hawthorne -Bike dancer recovering

Bike dancer recovering

Ramya Kannan and Rajesh B. Nair

Full-face helmet, cardiopulmonary resuscitation saved her

RESPONDING TO TREATMENT: Hollis Hawthorne, an American bike dancer, who was injured in an accident off Chidambaram, at JIPMER, Puducherry. Later, she was shifted to Chennai.

CHENNAI: To those who are taking care of Hollis Hawthorne, an American bike dancer, injured in an accident on February 24, it seems as if she is finally turning the corner.

Ms. Hollis is being treated in Apollo Speciality Hospital in Teynampet. She is off the ventilator, breathes on her own, and responds to deep pain stimulus. Her neurosurgeon M. Balamurugan is confident that there will be slow improvement over a period of days or months.

“She is a strong, young lady (31) and all she needs now is good nursing care. I hope with good physiotherapy and rehabilitation, she will be restored to about 90 per cent of normal activity in six to eight months’ time,” he told The Hindu on Thursday. He says she may not need an air ambulance; that she can fly back home in a passenger aircraft.

It was the full-face helmet she was wearing that saved Ms. Hollis’ life, says Dr. Balamurugan. That, and the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) that kept her alive all the time she was struggling to breathe after a horrific accident on Kollidam Bridge in Chidambaram.

On the narrow bridge, a bus tried to overtake a lorry and Ms. Hollis riding a motorcycle suddenly found herself trapped in the middle. Her boyfriend, Harrison Bartlett, who was riding ahead could see her lose control and hit the road with tremendous impact. As the bleeding Hollis struggled to breathe, he did CPR on her. The crowd that gathered around them found ways to help them: someone called for an ambulance; others offered water.

A van of German tourists stopped by, picked them up and dove them to a small clinic south of Chidambaram. They were sent to the Rajah Muthiah Medical College Hospital, Annamalai University, and then, to JIPMER in Puducherry. JIPMER Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery Rupesh Kumar said Ms. Hollis had suffered brain stem injury and was in coma. Since there was no spontaneous breathing, she was put on ventilator support.

Meanwhile, her mother Diane Allison, a qualified critical care nurse, and aunt Joy Willis flew to Chennai and drove down to Puducherry. They took the decision to shift Ms. Hollis to Apollo in Chennai. “We’ve had angels all the way,” says Ms. Allison, “We are so grateful to everyone in India who helped us right through.”
Best medical care

Both she and Mr. Bartlett are confident that Ms. Hollis is receiving the best medical care in India. “We only want to fly her back because that would mean going home. Besides, Stanford has offered us free care and Hollis has no insurance,” says Bartlett.

Ms. Allison is currently paying for hospitalisation expenses. She hopes that the fundraising effort, which is gathering momentum in the United States, would be able to help them make the trip back home as soon as Ms. Hollis is ready to go.

Life after Bhavaspandana (BSP) program

I attended Bhavaspandana program in Jan. 2009. Sadhguru told that he does not want to hear that BSP is good or excellent. Instead he wants us to realize the changes in our life after BSP.

Attending Maha Sivarathiri at Velliangiri I returned to my place of work, Annamalai University on 25th Feb 2009. I front of our bus I saw an accident. I could not just sit inside the bus and taking my bag I ran to the accident site. A white lady was fatally injured and she was given CPR by her boy friend.

Already a small crowd gathered around them. But no one was calling the ambulance or getting a vehicle. Seeing her i could feel her life ebbing slowly. I prayed sadhguru for his help and called 108 for ambulance. Getting a negative answer I ran from vehicle to vehicle asking them to give a lift to hospital. Worrying about the police case etc no one came forward.

I was shell shocked.

A life was dying slowly and people merely worry about give a report to police, dirtying their car seats with blood.

I could understand the questions in their mind: What is the need? Why are you worrying? Are you a acting as a movie Hero to help? Is she a relative to you? She is not connected to me in any way and why should I get in trouble for an unknown person.

Thing is I was unable to hate them for their attitude. I was like them for long years.

Now Sadhguru has touched some thing in my life that I ran like a madman to help the victim Ms. Hollis Hawthorne. I felt that my other self was there in her.

Once Ramana Maharishi was asked "While other people are working hard in their life Why are you idling your time?" he replied "There are no others".

Exactly I got the same feeling when I saw Hollis bleeding from her ears and her face smeared in blood. It was not for her I ran for hep but for me. I did not get the feeling I had done some thing good on that day but that it was what I should do for any life in distress.

That bearded walla Sadhguru made me alive.

A person from a far off land came to see my country and was hit and dying on the road side in a small village and how callous can we be ?

Why have we become so selfish? Others should help us and we can help others only after doing some calculations.

If that wounded person was one of our loved ones will be behave in the same way?

What has gone wrong? Is it the education?

Anyhow, I thank Sadhguru for his grace he has showered in realizing my self.

Saving Hollis Hawthorne

On 25th Feb. 2009 I was traveling from Mayiladuthurai to Chidambaram. Our bus stopped on Kollidam bridge. I looked out to see why we have stopped. I could see a pair of legs some 30 feet in front of our bus and a few people standing around the accident spot. I rushed there and I saw a white male doing CPR to the victim, a white girl. In the middle of the road I saw a motorcycle lying down and a helmet was beside it in a pool of blood. The right ear of the girl was torn nearly into two.

I asked the man if they need water to drink. "No, She will choke", he said.
Immediately I dialed 108 to call the ambulance. I was told the ambulance service was not available at that place, instead they noted my mobile number. They called me again and said the police station nearby was alerted and they will come for help.

Time was running out. Mr Hariharan, an MBA student of Sastra University came to help along with a few local people. We searched for a vehicle. It was like a typical Tamil movie. I ran to the vehicles standing there and was literally begging for help to each and every vehicle driver. Almost all were with passengers. I even requested the driver of a goods carrier vehicle TATA Ace, for it was empty, to drop the victim in the near by hospital. I got only negative answers. Anger welled inside me as I looked at these callous people. Then I approached a Tempo Traveler with foreign visitors and explained the situation. Fortunately they came forward to help us and we lifted the girl and placed her inside the vehicle and we rushed to the nearby hospital.

The doctor asked us to rush to Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Annamalai University at Chidambaram a place nearly 15 kilometers from there. He administered an injection and checked her. I was having only Rs. 200 and I gave Rs. 125 for the medicine. The doctor urged us to get a car to move the girl to Annamalai University, my place of work. A local person helped me an we went to the taxi stand to get a taxi, an Ambassador car.

I told the driver that I have only fifty rupees in my pocket and I promised him that I will pay him after reaching Chidambaram taking cash from ATM.

He asked if I am a relative to the victim. I said, No. And urged him not to worry about police case etc. Fortunately he came foreward to take us. The cab driver Mr. Ramesh and I went to the hospital and lifted the girl to the car. Both the foreigners were on the back seat while Hariharan and I seated in the front. Thanking the local people for their help we left.

On reaching the accident spot we stopped to get the baggage of the two. We put every thing in the back and rushed to Annamalai University. We got introduced to each other. His name was Harrison and girl was Hollis. They were from Sanfrancisco, USA.

Harrison was pretty much shaken by the unfortunate accident. And because of CPR Hollis started to breath on her own.

I called my professor Dr. J. Vasanthakumar and asked his help. Immediately he
send two people to the hospital to help us. The Sub Inspector called me and asked our whereabouts. I replied that we are on the way to Medical college and he informed me that he will also come to Chidambaram for enquiry.

We went to the casuality ward and the doctors took over. The Sub Inspector came there within a few minutes. I borrowed Rs. 1000 from my teacher Dr. P. Tholkappian to settle the taxi. To my pleasant surprise the cab driver
Ramesh refused the payment saying that the Sub-Inspector paid Rs. 300 for the trip. I asked if the money was sufficient or not? He said it was enough and we thanked him for his help.

Hariharan went to get the baggage of Hollis and Harrison while I went to see the Medical Superintendent. He asked if we need the ambulance facility to shift Hollis to JIPMER, Puducherry and who will sign for the responsibility of paying the ambulance? I informed him that I was a Lecturer in Genetics & Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture and that i will take the responsibility.

The doctors started to suture the torn ears of Hollis.

I filled the forms for the ambulance and I was informed that it will cost Rs. 10,000 for the ambulance. I asked Harrison if he can pay the amount. Harrison said he had Rs.6000 in Cash and remaining in dollars. Usually the ambulance will be brought only after the payment was made in advance.

Being a teaching faculty there, I assured them about the payment and asked them to rush up. Hollis and Harrison was directed to JIPMER, Pondicherry. Harrison got our address and thanked us for our help. We told him that Hollis will recover for sure and asked him not to worry and that we will pray for her recovery.

Later on that day I was called by the ambulance driver and people from our medical college. I was told that Harrison payed Rs. 6000 only and that he was shortage of money. I assured them that I will pay the remaining amount and asked the driver to come back.

I was asked to meet the Medical Superintendent Mr. Viswanathan the next day. He asked me about the accident and magnanimously waived the remaining fees for the ambulance. I thanked him and left. I could not contact Harrison again.

A week later Harrison called and informed me that Hollis was in coma and that she will be shifted to Apollo Hospital, Chennai within two days. He also told me that he intend to shift Hollis to Stanford Medical College, one of the best institute in the world. He told me that he want to give the best treatment to Hollis.

"I want to give her the best treatment in the world" he said.

I assured him that Hollis will recover fully and that all my family members will be praying for her well being.

Two days later when I was busy in the National Seminar organised by our Department, my friend Muthuselvam called and informed that Hollis was stable and was breathing on her own and asked me to see The Hindu, Mar 06, 2009. A happy news indeed it was to me. I called my wife immediately and informed her also.