This isn't a question, its a request. From a player who ended up having to be the tank and the healer (at the same time) for the better half of a campaign before my group (including the DM) realized it:
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD READ PAGES 293 THROUGH 295 IN THE PLAYERS HANDBOOK 1!
These pages deal with Healing Surges and how/when they can be used, (Everyone has them and can use them) and Death and Dying (you don't automatically die when you reach 0 hit points). Yesterday I was listening to several episodes(6-11 I think) of Nerd Poker while at work it seemed neither you or Gerry had looked over this information or Ell Ryan might have survived his encounter with "The Sea".