Once the adrenaline wears off after a dispatch, treat and transport, and the patient is safely delivered to the hospital, all too often, it’s a matter of hoping for the best when it comes to patient outcomes. Sometimes, those outcomes are reported and others, you’re left wondering how your patients fared.
Learning of a patient’s survival and getting the chance to see their recovery is a bright spot for all involved.
Here’ find 8 heartwarming EMS videos, from patient reunions, to acts of kindness, and a couple of surprises that will leave you with a smile.
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1. Girl, 6, who survived shooting reunites with EMS providers
Bri’Alle McNeil, 6, suffered multiple gunshot wounds when stray bullets entered her bedroom as she slept. Bri’Alle’s mother called 911 and got help from her neighbors until Pike Township Fire Department crews arrived. Capt. Aaron Bell told WTHR that while he has responded to many shootings, it is always more difficult when there is a child involved. He said the call that night was a “load-and-go situation” and Bri’Alle was immediately transported to the hospital.
The 6-year-old made a miraculous full recovery after suffering damage to her colon, liver, pancreas and right arm, and had the chance to reunite with the EMS providers who treated her in April, 2021.
2. Woman reunites with Ga. FFs who saved her 30-plus years ago
On Nov. 9, 1989, a fighter jet crashed into an apartment complex in Smyrna, Georgia, setting off a blaze that ultimately destroyed two buildings and killed two people. In April, 2021, Jaqueline Luxenberg, drove to Georgia from her home in New York City to meet the firefighters who had fought the blaze and to thank them for their role in helping to save her life.
During an emotional reunion, Luxenburg, who was 5 at the time of the fire, learned her mother, who was one of the victims, was also the one to save her life, picking her up and running through the fire and smoke, bringing her to safety.
3. EMS student aids injured opponent on lacrosse field
When a high school lacrosse player was injured in an on-field collision, the goalie from the opposing team, who happens to be an EMS student and a fire captain’s daughter, rushed to her aid. Morgan Dardia, a high school senior and goalie for the Barnstable (Massachusetts) High School team, realized trainers weren’t there yet and her EMS training kicked in when Evelyn Fey was injured. Dardia says she plans to earn her EMS certification, join the Coast Guard and become a firefighter.
“A true MVP. Like her dad Capt. Dardia of the Hyannis Fire Department always there to help those in need. Way to represent you[r] family, team, school and community Morgan,” Hyannis Firefighters Local 2172 wrote in a Facebook post. “The fire service is about tradition, family and compassion. Traits Morgan shows every day.”
4. Md. EMT reunites with grandmother, gives her vaccine after a year apart
Montgomery County, Maryland, EMT Mike Rechen, 28, reunited with his grandmother after a year apart to administer her COVID-19 vaccine in March, 2021.
NBC Washington reported the joyful reunion between Rechen and Shirley Donaldson, 90, who helped raise him since he was a baby. “I’ve probably given close to 300 of these shots and my hands were shaking on this one,” Rechen told NBC Washington.
5. Sailor on leave surprises her firefighter-paramedic father on duty
An Arvada, Colorado, first responder received a sweet surprise when he approached what he was told was a walk-up patient needing assistance. The firefighter-paramedic found his daughter waiting to surprise him, who was on a one-day leave from the Navy.
6. Va. FF-EMT proposes after graduating
A Virginia firefighter-EMT celebrated two major milestones in one day when he proposed to his girlfriend right after graduating from his EMS training program. After the ceremony, Roanoke Fire-EMS Firefighter-EMT Tom Forkin surprised his girlfriend of three years by getting down on one knee and asking her to marry him.
Forkin told WDBJ7he had planned to pop the question if he got the job at Roanoke Fire-EMS and was honored to have his fellow graduates by his side when he became engaged.
7. Violinist performs for medical staff who saved his life
Violinist Michael Tropepe collapsed at home in Orange Park, Florida, due to a heart condition. His girlfriend, Marvette Rose Henderson, called 911 and began working to resuscitate him. When paramedics arrived, they found him pulseless and resuscitated him through CPR. Tropepe was rushed to Orange Park Medical Center and placed on life support. After 10 days in the hospital, Tropepe recovered and was able to return home.
Weeks later, Tropepe returned to OPMC to perform for the healthcare professionals who saved him. “It was really an emotional concert for me,” he said. “I wanted to say through music what I could not say through words. I was fortunate to have a way to show them [his gratitude] through more than just words.”
8. Calif. first responders finish yard work after man, 93, collapses
Westminster, California, resident Bob Hallett, 93, was mowing his lawn when he collapsed. Four paramedics with the Orange County Fire Authority soon arrived, one of whom whisked Hallett to the hospital. Rather than pack up and leave, the remaining three paramedics finished mowing and raking Hallett’s yard.
“It was so easy for the three of us to knock it out, put the lawnmower in the back yard and wheel the trash bin to the side of the house. The whole process took maybe 12 minutes,” Tim Crawford, a fire apparatus engineer, noted. “It’s the little things that make big differences in people’s lives.”
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