By Staff
special to The Star
Sept. 25, 2003
Thanks to television and movies, we can all picture the drama and emotion that occur during life-saving procedures in a hospital emergency room.
Now, in a real-life demonstration of what can occur during alcohol poisoning or drug overdose situations, emergency room nurse Linda Dutil is sharing a dramatic message with teens about the consequences of poor choices and the importance of developing healthy attitudes about life.
Dutil, a widely acclaimed educational speaker, presented "A Taste of Reality" to students at Lamar and Meridian high schools earlier this week.
Her eye-opening interactive program included gripping demonstrations of emergency room procedures and emotional stories of real teens who have made poor choices about underage drinking or drug use.
Dutil's visit was sponsored by Mitchell Distributing, the local Anheuser-Busch wholesaler, as part of the company's commitment to help prevent underage drinking.
Over the past several years, Dutil has spoken to thousands of students in middle school and high school.
During the program, Dutil told detailed stories about young people she has treated in the emergency room. The presentation included slides of a stomach-pump procedure, as well as a hands-on look at the tubes, blades, intravenous equipment and charcoal solution used during emergency room treatments.
In turn, Dutil offered teens effective skills for resisting peer pressure and for making smart, responsible choices.