To the Editor:
I am writing in response to the article written in regards to the death of Jason Arroyo ("28-year-old man dies at Salsa Club event," The Daily Pennsylvanian, 2/15/05). I was dancing with Jason at the time of his death and attended his viewing Feb. 18.
I am writing because I find some of the details in the article, specifically those related to the response time by the EMTs, disturbing. I hope this letter provides the family some peace and solace during their time of grief.
The article suggests that the response to Jason's collapse was disturbingly slow. However, I purport that the EMTs responded in a timely manner. Furthermore, he received immediate medical attention from three nurses, including myself and a respiratory therapist.
The article also quotes a bystander, who stated, "There wasn't any sense of emergency by the response team." I would like to respond to this statement by claiming that EMTs are trained to remain calm in emergencies. I would like to think that Jason, as an EMT himself, would prefer to be cared for by a calm medic.
I danced with Jason the entire night before he collapsed. We were having a good time, and he showed no signs of distress the entire night. He simply collapsed suddenly. He did not scream, as a bystander reported. Given my experience as a nurse in an intensive care unit and Jason's symptoms, I believe that the outcome would have been the same even if he collapsed in the middle of an emergency room.
I hope this letter provides the family some peace in the upcoming months. The loss of a child is hard enough without questions like, "Would he have been all right if the EMTs arrived 10 minutes earlier?"
Michelle McMaster
Nursing '03
The author is a nurse at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.