Editor’s note: Congratulations to Patrick Roberson from Tennessee who won the first runner-up prize in our “I Was There” contest. We asked for your wildest or otherwise most memorable call, and you responded with some funny, sad, and inspiring stories. We selected six finalists out of almost 100 entries, and then left it up to you, the reader to pick the winner. Here was one of your favorite tale of a responder who was “there,” above and beyond the call of duty.
By Patrick Roberson
Bledsoe Co Rescue Squad (Tenn.)
My partner and I had become really close to a patient that we took to dialysis three times a week over several years. We knew that her birthday was coming up and decided to give her a surprise birthday party in the back of the unit. We took her to dialysis that morning without saying a word about her birthday. Upon return to the station we started getting things ready. Cake, balloons, streamers and the works down to gifts.
Soon after we had a major trauma call to go to the trauma center and we knew that we wouldn’t make it back to pick her up. The next crew picked her up for the return trip home. As we got back to the station, we quickly decorated the unit and wondered how we could swap out units without letting on what was up.
On the way back from dialysis, the transport unit had a rock hit the windshield. What luck, we arranged a unit swap in a factory parking lot. Upon placing her in the decorated unit we all started singing “Happy Birthday”. It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening, then she started to cry.
She was seventy-two years old and never had a surprise birthday party or party of any kind during her life.