Just as my wife’s water broke, I got a call from my mother’s nurse, and she told me my mom was dying. I was torn and forced to make a difficult decision.
The day Debra found out she was pregnant was one of those days that I will cherish for the rest of my life. We had cried together, unable to believe that we were going to have a baby home soon, and I promised Debra I’d be an amazing dad.
Debra and I had waited to become parents for a long time. We were one of those miracle couples who conceived after going through tons of failed fertility treatments and doctors telling us there was no chance.
“We’ll be the best parents to him, darling,” I told Debra one night. “I can’t wait to hold our baby in my arms.”
“I know, honey,” she’d said, smiling. I gently kissed her baby bump and promised Debra I’d always be by her side.
Debra had always been very anxious about the pregnancy due to the complications, and I had told her I would be there for her, so there was no need to worry.
Little did I know fate would plunge me into a situation where I’d have to choose between her and my mom while was in labor…
I still get chills when I recall that day. It started as a beautiful day. The sun was shining brightly, and nothing seemed wrong with the outside world. I was preparing breakfast in the kitchen because Debra wasn’t feeling well that morning.
I quickly assembled a breakfast plate for her, and I went to call her for breakfast. As I entered our bedroom, I saw she was leaning against the wall with one hand, clutching her baby bump and breathing heavily.
“Honey, are you okay?” I dashed to her, worried. “Should I call the doctor?”
“Gordon…my water…it…it broke,” she whispered heavily, and that’s when I noticed the floor beneath her. It was wet. “Take me to the hospital, Gordon…Please!” she cried.
“Jesus!” I panicked. “I’ll get the car started. Just hang on a sec, honey.”
I ran to our car, grabbing the keys from the bowl on the living room shelf. I opened the car door, then rushed back inside to help Debra.
“Don’t worry, honey. We’ll reach the hospital in no time. Okay, we’ve got this.” I was comforting her as her labor pains began. I was terrified and nervous. I was praying everything would be fine.
After we made it to the car and Debra got inside, I locked her door and rushed to take my seat. Then my phone rang. It was my mom’s nurse, Marla, calling me. My mother had been diagnosed with a progressive cardiac condition, and due to her illness, she was confined to bed rest.
Worried, I answered the phone, and Marla’s voice on the other end of the line broke me from inside.
“Gordon,” she said in a weak voice. “Your mom… She had a heart attack, so I took her to the hospital. The doctors say there is little hope she’ll make it… Your mother is dying. I think you should be here as soon as you can.”
“Jesus, Jesus!” I exhaled a sigh. Why was everything happening at the same time? I was ripped to shreds and didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, there was Debra, who was in labor, and on the other, there was my mother.
I went inside the car, tears in my eyes, and told Debra everything. I couldn’t hide it from her, anyway. She saw my face and asked me what was wrong. And I blurted everything out.
“Mom is dying, honey. She had a heart attack, and Marla’s asking me to be there as soon as possible. I am so nervous. I – I don’t know what to do….”
“Honey,” Debra said. “Call a taxi. I’ll go by myself…”
“What?” I was taken aback. “No, we can’t do that!”. She was drenched in sweat and moaning in pain. “Look at you. It’s just not….”
“We don’t have time, honey…Ahh…call the taxi now, Gordon. Your mom needs you. You are a son first, then a husband. I will manage. Your mom…she…” Her pain was becoming worse.
“I’m calling the taxi. Oh, God!”
Thankfully, I got a taxi soon, and I instructed the driver to take Debra to the hospital safely. My hands shook as I drove to my mother’s hospital, and my tears wouldn’t stop. My heart was racing, wondering about Debra’s condition and if our baby would be alright.
What this old man observed on the pavement shocked him.
Pedro Bras shared the firefighters’ photo from Pedróg Grande, Portugal, on Facebook so that others might see it.
Everyone agrees that working as a fireman is a serious and important profession. The photo posted by fireman Pedro Bras made it very clear how seriously the firemen take their duties.
There is a tremendous need for firefighters in the region of Portugal that is battling a forest fire. 1,150 firemen are presently working around the clock to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading.
25 people have been hurt this year as a result of the fire, along with the damage of many regions. Two disastrous fires that struck Portugal in June and October of the previous year resulted in a total of 114 fatalities. This image depicted firemen who, although being worn out from their valiant efforts, continued to work in dangerous conditions. Pedro sent a photo of some of the firemen wanting to take a break and relax after spending many hours putting out a large fire in Pedróg Grande. “After working hard all day and all night, we decided to take a break and relax by the river for a quarter of an hour; at that time, we noticed that the air was thick with smoke.” According to Pedro, the firemen took a short break of 25 minutes to unwind by a river after working nonstop for 24 hours. He said that the firefighters had taken a break at this point. The shot vividly showed the smoke-filled environment. The temperature rose to an all-time high of around 116 degrees Fahrenheit on August 5. In addition to the 13 planes that dropped water on the fire, a number of additional firemen also consented to help fight the wildfire. AWM claims that 160 soldiers were called into action in order to help with the evacuation efforts.
The photograph gained over 9,000 user responses, 1,300 comments, and more than 5,900 shares before rapidly going viral. A large number of people voiced their surprise at the firemen’ efforts. Manja Knofel claimed that each and every fireman in the world is a hero in their own way. Another user from Paris named Sweetie Racch said they deserved “rest and praise” for the outstanding work they had completed. The firemen have done everything they can, according to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa. A number of them have had fatal injuries. The police had been hoping that the event from the previous year wouldn’t happen again this year. Share this to your friends that FIREFIGHTERS are Awesome.!
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