In July 1967, while working on the streets of New York, photographer Rocco Morabito captured a picture of life. He called it “The Kiss Of Life”
Rocco Morabito saw a unique scene at the time: electrical worker J.D. Thomson gave his colleague Randall G. Chamion CPR (mouth to mouth) in the air when he reached a high-voltage power line. Rocco Morabito phoned and got his camera in an ambulance. “I worked these guys and proceeded on my job,” Morabito adds. “I took eight strike photos. I was thinking I would go back and see if I could get another image.”
But as Morabito returns to the linemen, “I heard shouting. I glanced up and saw this guy hang down. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to do. I immediately snapped a photo right. J.D. Thompson ran to the pole. I was going to my vehicle and I was calling an ambulance. I came back to the pole and J.D. breathed into the champion. I backed out, I was going off, I couldn’t go further till I struck home. I’ve taken a different image. Then I heard Thompson screaming: he breathes!”
It is well-known that Chamion touched a power line of more than 4,000 volts when they performed regular maintenance on the top of the high voltage undead pole, causing it to be shocked. The heart is halted and disappears. He didn’t fall thanks to the seat belt.
Thom Son was on his way down in the meanwhile. He noticed his colleague’s critical condition and swiftly rose from mouth to mouth.
Since he was in the air, Thomson could not revive the CPR (press on the chest to recover). He blew Chamion’s lungs till his buddy felt a little pull. Then Thomson swiftly unbuckled the seat belt of his colleague, put him over his shoulder, and pulled them down. How tough is it to bring a guy to the earth in a coma at such an altitude, but luckily Thomson did.
Thomson and another worker proceeded to administer CPR for Chamion down to the ground and he remained almost alive until an ambulance came. Thank God, Chamion has now fully healed.
“The kiss of life” received the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography, awarded by journalists, in 1968. The picture was subsequently featured in the world’s newspapers.
In my view, this picture has such an effect due to its unique message. The kiss between Thomson and Chamion was neither that of the lovers nor was it a kiss for family and friends. It was a clean, noble kiss. It’s life-kiss, and it’s life-kiss!
Thomson, in a scenario that was so low and so successful, did not have the time to ponder anything, he did not even have the chance to hesitate, he did all in a human’s nature to save the life of his fellow man. Because every person has a desire to be alive and there is pure kindness in the depths of every being which cannot be destroyed, therefore at the time of birth and death, all they can do is to stay alive with all their might. I call it compassion… I call compassion