OSLO, Norway -- A web camera in a Norwegian artist's living room in California allowed her sons in Norway and the Philippines to see that she had collapsed and call for help, one of the sons said yesterday.
Karin Jordal, 69, collapsed Thursday in her living room in Pinon Hills, California, and was motionless on a couch when her son Tore in the Philippines checked in through the Internet.
"He tried to call her, and got no answer," Tore's brother, Ole Jordal, said by phone from Bergen, Norway. "He had also tried to call the police and ambulances (in California) but couldn't get through."
He said the family was on the verge of tears when they watched on the webcam as ambulance personnel assisted their diabetic mother, who is recovering in hospital.
"I thank that camera and my sons for my life," Karin Jordal told the Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende by telephone from her hospital bed. She has lived in the U.S. and Spain on and off for the last 15 years.
Ole said low blood sugar caused his mother's collapse, and that she would be allowed to go home after a few days in hospital. He said the family set up webcams in their homes because of the high cost of staying in touch by telephone when they live so far apart.
"But now I see the Internet as a way to save lives. It's also a wonderful tool for people who live alone in some remote area and might need help," he said.
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