Praying for Peace
I was returning to the States after a trip in Japan. It was a long flight. We were all seated in the back of the plane, as we could not get any further back. Halfway through the 9-10 hour flight, we heard a woman screaming in Mandarin, or something similar, two rows behind us.
I saw her screaming constantly. It must have been some name or a cry of help. I think it was her husband, he wasn’t awake and didn’t respond. They found a doctor on board and the flight attendants were able to locate him. The flight attendants dragged the body to the back and discovered that he did not have a heartbeat. They began CPR right next to my sister who was seated on the opposite side of me.
The tried everything but it didn’t work. According to those who were with him, the cause of the heart failure was that the man had a number of health problems. The flight attendants stopped the plane and asked my family and I if we wanted to move seats. The flight attendants had to cover the body in blankets, and then move it until we landed. The plan was to put him in a bathroom and seal it for the rest of the flight. But the regulations did not allow this.
We moved instead and took the seats that belonged to the family. Then they buckled him in my seat and I sat where he had sat. The rest of the flight I sat in the seat occupied by a man that had just died, with his body buckled in the seat I occupied before. It was an odd feeling and not at all comforting.
We were so far from any land that could offer medical help, it would have been pointless to turn the plane around. We were several hours away from any place that could provide medical assistance. It is frightening to be in an emergency situation without any real assistance. I hope that the family has found peace.
