tour thirteen day two/three- LIFE, DEATH, & IN BETWEEN

happy EMS week

why do i do this work?

i want to be that ferryman for a certain subset of people who don't usually get providers who are culturally competent or look like them or speak their language or understand the context of their pain

this...is not heroism. it is a grind. it is wading through all the bullshit calls until arriving at the place i was meant to be, trying to hold space for strangers.

so uh

please examine yourself and figure out what your good death looks like and then write it down somewhere. give copies to people who know you. talk to your doctor about a POLST to decide what level of care you want because there are a couple options ranging from "no care, do not resuscitate" to just comfort care measures. talk to the elderly and vulnerable people you care about about what they'd like for themselves. learn to sit with death! it's only scary because we don't ever talk about it!