An EMT’s Unexpected Trip to the Emergency Department - Gratitude Story
I’ve been in the emergency response profession for over thirty years. Never did I anticipate the day when I would be rushed to the hospital.
I woke up in the middle of the night struggling to breathe. My wife, Sandy, knew things were really bad when I agreed to go to the emergency room. I try to endure most things but this time, I couldn’t bear it. I knew I needed help.
We arrived at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center around 8 or 9 p.m. Even at that late hour, it was extremely busy, but everyone was just so nice to me. That’s a hard thing to do: being nice when you’re really busy.
As a paramedic, firefighter, and now a fire captain with an emergency medical technician (EMT) certification, I shuttled patients to MedStar Health facilities all the time. But the MedStar system is very special to me in more ways than one.
My sister-in-law, Denise White, worked at the catheterization laboratory at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. When she died suddenly from a heart attack at 48 years old, the loss was difficult not just for her family, but for her catheterization laboratory team, too. She was really treasured there.
Sandy’s father was treated for brain cancer at the [Harry and Jeanette Weinberg] Cancer Center at MedStar Franklin Square. Even though we lost him after ten years of treatment, the appreciation we had to his caregivers never went away. The same goes for Denise’s colleagues. Our gratitude for their wonderful work is why we’ve continued donating to these programs all these years.
I knew my patients and family members were in good hands wherever they went within the MedStar network. Now, having been a patient, I experienced for myself the compassionate treatment others have had. This personal experience really affirmed our decision to donate. It also confirmed their reputation. The MedStar family is a good group of people doing great things.
I woke up in the middle of the night struggling to breathe. My wife, Sandy, knew things were really bad when I agreed to go to the emergency room. I try to endure most things but this time, I couldn’t bear it. I knew I needed help.
We arrived at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center around 8 or 9 p.m. Even at that late hour, it was extremely busy, but everyone was just so nice to me. That’s a hard thing to do: being nice when you’re really busy.
As a paramedic, firefighter, and now a fire captain with an emergency medical technician (EMT) certification, I shuttled patients to MedStar Health facilities all the time. But the MedStar system is very special to me in more ways than one.
My sister-in-law, Denise White, worked at the catheterization laboratory at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. When she died suddenly from a heart attack at 48 years old, the loss was difficult not just for her family, but for her catheterization laboratory team, too. She was really treasured there.
Sandy’s father was treated for brain cancer at the [Harry and Jeanette Weinberg] Cancer Center at MedStar Franklin Square. Even though we lost him after ten years of treatment, the appreciation we had to his caregivers never went away. The same goes for Denise’s colleagues. Our gratitude for their wonderful work is why we’ve continued donating to these programs all these years.
I knew my patients and family members were in good hands wherever they went within the MedStar network. Now, having been a patient, I experienced for myself the compassionate treatment others have had. This personal experience really affirmed our decision to donate. It also confirmed their reputation. The MedStar family is a good group of people doing great things.