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In The Arms Of A Stranger: More Jottings From An EMT (George Guzman Writes) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Friday, April 6, 2007
Rated "PG" by the Author.
A seasoned paramedic shares some stories from the field.
I have seen much, done much, cried much in my line of work. I don't know if anyone can do this, what I do for a living, but it's my life, my work, my world.
I'm an EMT. I save people's lives when they get sick or injured. I have cried along with the best of them, even shared some laughter and joy. Yet more often than not, my job is fraught with stress, and there is more heartbreak, heartbreak that nobody should ever have to witness. I have seen more tragedy than most people do in an entire lifetime.
My job has aged me. I may be in my thirties, but there are days where I feel like I am as old as the hills. At times I feel 100--or maybe even older. I feel like Methuselah, carrying the weight of the world upon my tired back.
I have seen little children who should be running around or playing or laughing lying cold-dead on the floor or in their beds, or ancient elderly people who should be gone already continue to defy the odds time and time again. I have seen people strung out on drugs or alchohol, and I have seen people experiencing terrifying psychotic episodes that have scared the very hell right out of me.
I have seen bodies lying broken and bleeding in amongst a mangled mess that once was a car or truck, and I have seen body parts strewn all over the highways like confetti. I have seen nasty infections that threaten to eat up a person's body, and I have seen, smelled, tasted, felt, or heard more in the way of tragedy or heartbreak than a person has a right to.
The pay of a EMT is lousy: it is just enough to pay the bills; there is no extra money to where I can take the wife or the kids to a movie or out to eat (it is a rare thing when we go out; I usually dine on take out orders or don't eat at all) or even to the mall. When I am home, I don't want to be bothered by my family: all I want to do is one thing--sleep.
The hours are shitty: no weekends or holidays off, even have to work on holidays like Easter or Christmas if scheduled. We work in all types of weather: sunny, rainy, sleety/icy, snowy, even stormy, even if there are tornadoes spinning from the clouds or baseball-sized hailstones bouncing off our heads, hitting grand slams, as we try to get a patient quickly into the back of our ambulance.
I have a team of partners that are as dedicated to their job as I am. My team consists of myself ("Goose"; that's me; it's my nickname), Kendall Smith (he's the "head" paramedic; he's the guy to go to, he's the guy who calls all the shots), Pat E. Moss, Hector Gonzales, Dwayne T. Jackson, and Michelle Triplett, who is as green as they come. She's brand new. So's Hector; both have been on the force less than six months, but already they have seen more than most.
As an EMT, we have to see many nasty things, not everyone can do the job I do without getting sick. I have also seen several miracles take place (such as when we bring a little boy with a neuromuscular disease back from the brink of death or an old guy back from a heart attack after we shocked his ass), and it is enough to make a grown man like myself cry (which I HAVE). There's the best of both worlds--the good and the bad--in paramedicdom, and it makes the job worth it whenever we save a life.
Well, the tones are going off, gotta' get to the rig and take off again. Will write in here another day; until then, take care! (I'll try to do the same.)
~"Goose".
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Reviewed by d. k
4/8/2007
What the EMT's see many of us would not have the stomach to see, for this, I am thankful for men and women such as them. They certainly do give of their time, often feeling like it is a thankless job, however I am certain when one of their patient's live it becomes most thankful!! Great writeQ
The life of an EMT is so hard at times. My cousin did this for many years. And still wonders if she made a difference. Without the EMT's some people would'nt have a chance.
Thanks for all you do.
Linda
I am humbled. These thoughts cross my mind very often, but to hear their side of the story as if from their own mouth is awesome. Bless you, Karen. If I ruled the world, EMTs and all others who are totally sold out on saving the lives of others at grave risk to themselves, would be paid the absolute top whack, and the paper-pushers pushed to the bottom of the pile... but then again, I am no economist. But, in terms of the economies of life and of the heart, these people are more than worth their weight in gold... and have hearts and minds of gold. And you with them, for always making us aware of their plight. Bless you, and may Easter health and true happiness be yours. Love, Kate xx
I like these Jottings From An EMT. Not so long ago, my mother had to be transported by ambulance quite a few miles away from the hospital I admitted her in because they did not have bed space and her grave condition would not allow me to drive her to a hospital in another city, as she needed to be monitored every minute. My mother lives with me and I am her caretaker. The EMT's were in their early thirties and they were very professional in administering life-saving abilities and kept her stabilized until my mother could arrive at the emergency room at the hospital. An account of an EMT's pledge of life code...thanks for the jottings today, Karen Lynn....Be well, you two...
The reader winces; they smile; they cry along with Goose as he recounts his life as a paramedic/EMT. You capture the drama in spot on lines! Well done!
(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.
And again, God bless those who serve in the medical field! The doctors and nurses seem to get all the glory when it's the paramedic/EMTs who bring the trainwrecks to the ER, most of them alive. Who thinks of them, who thanks them??
A poignant story about letting go of a narcissist in your life. Have you ever been attacked FULL force by a narcissist? It's the closest thing to being stabbed over and over in the back.
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