The first surprise was that our customer invited us to the concert.
It happened for the very first time in my QAD career. Laerdal Medical is a sponsor
of local artists. There are a lot of their paintings and graphics in the
company canteen. Now the time came for an amateur theater ensemble and courtesy
for Laerdal’s supplier. Great, it was much better to watch a concert, than carefully
study ceiling in a hotel room.
The second surprise was this amateur ensemble consisting of
seven friends and performing in a very professional way. It is a perfect
example of what people can do in their leisure time, if they have any. The play
was about young and beautiful (as in any performances) woman who fell in love
and whom unfortunate and cruel fate lead to committing a suicide in Seine. In Seine,
because love affairs usually look best in Paris... As I have mentioned above,
she was beautiful, and her death mask gave her second life. Her face appeared
at many posters, paintings and advertisements over the entire century.
The third surprise was the way, in which Mr Laerdal is emotionally
involved in maintaining his company mission. About 50 years after L’Inconnue’s
death Mr Asmund Laerdal choose her death mask as a model for his first resuscitation
training manikin. Saving life is company’s vital mission and it is treated seriously.
This sponsored play showed not only L’Inconnue’s story, but also contained an artistic
interpretation of resuscitation. The message was clear: “One kiss can save somebody’s life”.
The final episode of this evening was a demonstration of company’s
sense of community and belonging. Ninety three years old retired employee, who
had designed the first manikin with L’Inconnue’s mask was honored at the stage.
In this way unfortunate L’Inconnue’s story was linked with Laerdal’s present
time.
That was great evening.