When a sudden health emergency arises, the people involved need to act fast.
Ideally, people have already considered what to do in such situations, so no panic-driven decisions come about in the moment when it counts.
But alas, not everybody is so prepared. And that fact certainly applies to young people who may have never encountered a first aid situation before.
A recent post in the “Am I the A**hole (AITA)” subReddit outlined a real-life example of that very dynamic.
The Original Poster (OP), known anonymously as rainbowthrowawayy, led with a guilt-stricken title.
“AITA for getting someone into debt?”
OP began the post with a quick clarification before moving onto a run down of the key players involved.Â
“More like are we the a**holes, to be honest I’m super confused.”
“I [15-year-old female] have 3 friends, Joy, Rosie and Hani all 15 too (well, Hani will be 15 this saturday) we all bonded over not having great parents.”
“Not a great thing to bond over but well, i think it’s important to mention that.”
Recently, they all faced an ordeal.
“A few days ago Hani got sick with a stomach flu so we all started to check on her through our group chat and two days ago Hani texted us telling us she was in lots of pain.”
“Her parents weren’t at home, they never do anything anyway.”
Luckily, they stick together.Â
“Both Joy and Rosie happened to be close to her home so they went to see her and from what i know, she wasn’t okay.
“Now, Rosie is extremely emetophobic and i wouldn’t trust Joy with a pet rock but they handled it well.”
“Then i came over too and brought some things (we all have been taking care, i promise) Hani wasn’t getting better at all and we were watching a movie when she started crying, she was literally sobbing and her breathing was fast.”
The next move, at the time, seemed clear.Â
“We didn’t know what to do and none of us can drive so Joy called an ambulance.”
“Turns out her appendix exploded or something like that.”
But that choice didn’t go unnoticed.Â
“The hospital obviously called her parents who are now upset because we got them into debt.”
“They are extremely wealthy so money has never been an issue at all for them but they are upset. Our parents are too.”
“Joy even got punished and doesn’t have her phone right now and we all feel super bad but we didn’t know what to do at the moment.”
“Are we the a**holes?”
OP closed with a final note.Â
“[Edited to Add]: When i say wealthy i mean that they’re like a fresh prince kinda family with the money”
“I think i might be the a**hole by calling the ambulance without really having a permission to do so, which caused problems for everyone around me”
Anonymous strangers weighed in by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
- NAH – No A**holes Here
Far from criticizing, most Redditors were firmly supported OP’s quick-thinking in the moment.Â
“NTA. Burst appendixes can literally kill a person. You saved your friend’s life. You did a really good thing and you should be proud of yourself.” — hyahyena
“NTA You girls saved yourself friends live.”
“A ruptured appendix is no joke. The repercussions of not going can / could have cost her life.”
“Screw what her parents think. They’re obviously not worried about her survival if they care more about the money.”
“you did the right thing and your friend is alive because of your actions.” — Redrum0725
“Wait wait wait pause hold put on layaway”
“NTA You saved her life. Her parents prefer to have a dead kid instead of losing a bit of their excess money ? Wow.” — Bloubloum
Others saw some parental red flags.Â
“They got mad…at you guys..for saving her life? NTA child protective services needs to be called.” — ladyk1487
“NTA”
“Since you are talking to Hani while she is in the hospital, suggest to her that she ask for a social worker.”
“That person will be in a position to report this medical neglect to the proper authorities. Her parents ignoring her pain would have killed her.” — Shebolleth
“NTA you saved her life”
“those parents would have had her either die or be in trouble for medically neglecting the kid. CPS would have a field day with this one.”
“also you three should like someone said escape and maybe become roomies.”
“her parents and yours are TA” — Unhappysong-6653
Others spoke from experience.Â
“I had appendicitis a few years ago, worst pain of my life. My daughter was 10 lbs with a natural birth of no pain medication…the appendicitis hurt more than childbirth.”
“It fu**ing hurts a lot. Debt is better than death.” — magjoy72
“My niece died at your age because they waited too long to go to the ER and her appendix burst. You did the right thing and it is insane if an adult says differently and even more crazy if they are upset about the cost.”
“From an expense standpoint, just so you have the knowledge since I sure didn’t at 15. If you are in the US the only expense the family could possibly have avoided here was the ambulance.”
“Don’t hesitate to call if you think one is needed.”
“When the paramedics arrive you can ask if an ER seems needed right away and if not you can choose to decline the transport so no charge.”
“None of you can drive and were not in the position to make an adult decision about it in this situation so an ambulance was the best choice.”
“Anyone with an appendix needing surgery has to go to the ER and spend at least one night so her parents would have that cost no matter what. Some insurance even reduces the portions of ambulance expense if the person is admitted.”
“Therefore, you did not cause any debt. The bills were all necessary to sustain life and the parents would have been criminally negligent and would have had child services at their door.”
“Yes, child services investigated my niece’s family.” — Ordinary_Flamingo931
And so, despite the push back from her friend’s parents, OP can hold her head up high as someone who saved a very dear friend.