[CTSARA] Good Ham Radio Reference In NY Times Today

[Jon Perelstein]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/08/sports/08medical.html?ref=sports

Second paragraph.


By the way, I was the ham radio operator for the translators at the finish line 
and at the medical tent referenced in this article.  We had French, German, 
Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese in the 
group and then access to specialists in other less-common languages via radio. 
 We also helped runners out on the course by providing translations via radio.  

For example, about noon, someone from the Medical net came up on Translator net 
requesting an Italian translator for a medical emergency at the aid station at 
mile 14. A runner had dropped out at that aid station and was sitting in the aid 
tent screaming at the top of his lungs, pounding on his thigh with both fists, 
and grabbing for scalpels and other sharp instruments.  They had four medics 
restraining him while two more tried to figure out what was wrong.  We had the 
radio operator at the aid station key his radio so that the Italian translator 
in my group could hear over my HT what the guy was screaming.  When the operator 
at the aid station unkeyed his mic, she started speaking rapid-fire Italian in 
what was clearly a stern tone.  After she stopped, the op down at the aid 
station said "what did you say to him, he's all calm now".  Her answer, "He has 
a thigh cramp and he is very angry at his leg, which is why keeps hitting it. 
 He is threatening his leg and telling it that he is going to cut it off for 
disappointing him in this way.  I told him that I am from the Italian 
government, that he is embarrassing his father, his mother, his family, his 
village, all of Italy and all Italians."

About 20 minutes later, we got an emergency call for an Italian translator to 
the main medical tent (the one referenced in this article).  The translator and 
I raced over to the tent where we were rushed into the ICU section.  Just as we 
got to the specified bed, an alarm went off at that bed and one of the nurses 
grabbed both of us by our collars and rushed us back out of the ICU.  After 10 
minutes the nurse retrieved us, saying "we think he can speak now".  He had 
collapsed after finishing and had been in and out of consciousness, but I gather 
from the questions being asked through the interpreter that the problem was an 
electrolyte imbalance (not had enough food and electrolyte replenishment while 
running) and not cardiac per se.

Funniest was a Russian speaker who came through the finish line at about 3:30 
and wanted to know how to get back to the Marriott Hotel in Times Square because 
he had a 6:00pm flight out of Kennedy.  Given that it's usually an hour trip to 
Kennedy from midtown Manhattan on a Sunday afternoon, and given that it was 
going to take him at least 30 minutes to get to his hotel, and given that 
international flights to Russia require at least two hours for check-in and 
security, it'll be interesting to find out if he ever made his flight.

Jon
KB1QBZ