A Seizure in Real Life

I'm not onstage for the scene right now, so I have a bit of a break. On my way across campus to rehearsal, I saw a girl fall and go into a full-blown grand mal seizure. I think they're officially called tonic-clonic seizures now, because that;s what the doctors on "Houee" call them, and the tV medical programs are usually up on the latest medical terminology.

The girl was maybe 50 feet away from me when i saw her go down, so I called 9-1-1 as I was approaching her. The dispatcher told me to try to roll her on her side if I could, which I did, and to keep my fingers away from her mouth, which I did. Campus police was there quickly, and one of them who came is a trained paramedic. They phoned for also an ambulance. In real life law enforcement personnel, or at least campus security people, don;t refer to ambulances ans buses as is done on Law $ Order. For all I know, the NYPD really does.

The girl regained consciousness in what was probably just three minutes but seemed a lot longer. She said she's never had a seizure before. I felt very sorry for her. One  apparently common seide effect  of grand mal seizures is a loss of control of certain body functions. I had a little blanket with me that had no particular sentimental value, but I was going to use it to stay warm in the theatre between my scenes. I left it with her. I heard the ambulance pulling up  before I reached the theatre.

Rehearsal is going well. I think we'll be ready.