Seventy Two Hours: A Paramedic's Story

One person's true account of life as a paramedic in the beginning days of paramedicine. This story reflects what life was like during the time when paramedics were in the beginning phases of the EMS world. It is a shocking real view of the daily events in the life of a paramedic, and includes stories of emotional coping strategies used in the field of lifesaving; as well as graphic details of heartbreaking circumstances, anecdotal accounts of true events, and examples of the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects upon the individuals who choose to save the lives of strangers; during a time when there was no supporting awareness or agencies to deal with the horrible, life changing trauma experienced by the individuals who chose to do this heroic work; and the most overused statement from the governing populous was, "If you can't take it, quit." This is a story about those who didn't quit, but continued to give of themselves, against all odds. With very low pay, and no benefits, these individuals continued to save lives, during a time when no one even said, "Thank you."