• ITGuyLevi@programming.dev
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    2 days ago

    Thank you for everything you do to help people. I have a few EMTs in the family and the things they’ve seen and done are not something that just anyone can do!

    All I’ve got on my rearview are some fuzzy dice I got for fathers day back in 2016.

    • It’s actually the Rod of Asclepius… The symbol is the “Star of Life”, typically found on ambulances. I’m a Paramedic.

      Stitch, because he’s awesome. Plus, that movie was my son’s favorite when it first came to the movies.

      • MonkeMischief@lemmy.today
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        4 days ago

        I’m a Paramedic.

        Hey just wanted to say, God bless you, and I’m really thankful that people like you do what you do. I had a few friends back in the day in this field and…I don’t know how they did it, the things I’d hear.

        I know it’s insanely difficult and often way too thankless, and people just don’t get it.…So I hope you stay safe out there and don’t forget to take care of yourself. ❤️

        • Thank you. That was a very kind response.

          Maybe hard to believe, but, I’ve worked emergency medicine for almost 40 years. My official 40 years will be December 2026. That’s when I was 18 and joined the U.S.Army as a Combat Medic. Luckily, we had a brief break of “peace”.

          I’m still on the road 40+ hours a week. I do not run 911 calls (I did that '89-'17). It’s essentially an Uber with fancy lights on top. Moving patients from rehab facilities out to their follow-up appointments.

          If I can keep my body in tolerable shape. My goal is 50 years in EMS. I think that would be a pretty good career 🙂

          • Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone
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            2 days ago

            I have a relative that does run 911 calls. If you’re OK with me asking, do you have any advice for him when it comes to recovering emotionally after calls involving kids? He has kids himself and he’s always shaken for a while after anything with a kid.

              • Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone
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                2 days ago

                Thanks! I’ve tried to broach the topic of counseling before, but they’re in a red state and it sounds like there’s a huge stigma against actually using it. I know it would be illegal for anyone to disclose he asked about it, but that doesn’t stop small town bullshit. Then people wonder why these areas have brain drain problems…

  • Arkhive@piefed.blahaj.zone
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    4 days ago

    Thanks for your service! Always glad to see other EMS related folks in the wild. I’m a WFR and thankfully haven’t needed to use it a ton, but I’ve been around enough rock climbing accidents to know that doing what you did for 40 years warrants some serious respect and appreciation.

    Out of curiosity are you at all involved in street medic work for protests or even just care for unhoused/homeless folk?

    Edit: also not sure the exact significance the Celtic cross holds to you, but on the off chance you’re Irish or of Irish descent I find this Gaelic saying very beautiful and relevant to working in medicine or community of any kind really.

    “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine.”

    Phonetic spelling: Err scawh a ch(k)ale-ah a wir-enn na dee-neh.

    Translation: Under the shelter of each other, people survive.

    • I do not work during protest. I hold my own sign.

      Protest

      I am of Irish heritage. I’ve visited Ireland 3X… Last visit was St.Patrick’s week of '25. We did the big parade in Dublin on the 17th. Then we drove many places, including Belfast, Donegal, Dingle and the tiny villages of Boston & Foxborough. I grew up in Foxborough, MA and have worked in/around Boston forever.

      • Arkhive@piefed.blahaj.zone
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        4 days ago

        Amazing! Love the sign!

        My grandmother took my siblings and I to Ireland as teens to see all the old family graves and homestead. I’ve been wanting so badly to go back and I’ve been reconnecting more with that ever since, recently starting to pick up whatever Gaelic I can!

        Stay safe out there!