It goes without saying, 2020 has been a trying year for EMS providers. Between the COVID-19 pandemic, civil unrest and overtaxed resources, unprecedented stress and demands have been added to an already stressful and demanding job. Now more than ever, self-care and mental health resources are needed to provide EMS providers with the balance and support that promotes wellbeing during even the most challenging of times. Taking a break from bad news with a dose of feel-good is the kind of pick-me-up we could all use during times like this.
Here are the top nine feel-good EMS videos of the year to help warm your heart and clear your mind of negativity:
1. 2-year-old saved from choking reunites with flight paramedics
Survivor reunions are an uplifting experience, and for one HALO-Flight crew in South Texas, seeing 2-year-old Roque Gallegos happy and active again in January after a near-death experience was “the best Christmas present ever.” Thanks to the crew’s lifesaving actions, Roque was able to celebrate his third birthday on Jan. 26, 2020.
Watch the reunion below:
2. Firefighters extricate marriage proposal to paramedic
Finding a partner who truly understands you is a wonderful thing, and that is what Randolph County (North Carolina) Paramedic Makayla Swaim found in a fellow first responder, Asheboro Firefighter Matthew Bym. Bym’s unique proposal to Swaim was captured on video in March, and you can watch it below. Cheers to the happy couple!
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=509634123307951
3. Medic, EMT marry in Times Square
First comes love, then comes marriage: AMR Paramedic Meagan Herlihy and AMR EMT Kyle Short thought this second step would have to be delayed due to COVID-19, which forced them to cancel their wedding plans as they spent a month on the front lines of the pandemic in New York City. Fortunately, “Good Morning America” heard their story and helped give them a Times Square wedding they will never forget. After saying “I do,” the couple received another surprise: find out what it was by watching the video below!
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=1099793800398280
4. Ohio medic reunites with family after 6 weeks on the front lines in NY
Many EMS providers have had to make difficult decisions to keep their families safe during the pandemic, many separating from their partners and children for long periods of time for deployments or to minimize the risk of spreading the virus to those they love most. Seeing your loved ones again after days, weeks or even months apart is a joyful experience well worth the wait. Break out the tissues for these emotional reunions between front line responders and their families.
In May, Ohio Paramedic Leilani Lemonier surprised her three children — Alivia, 19, Adrianna, 17 and Kale, 10 — in a tearful reunion after volunteering to spend 42 days in New York to care for COVID-19 patients.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=197779524524946
5. Honolulu medic reunites with son after months separated during pandemic
Honolulu Paramedic Shara Molina’s son Aiden, 7, stayed in the care of his grandparents while Molina worked on the front lines, not wanting to expose her son or parents, who are cancer patients, to the virus. Molina surprised Aiden in June after months of separation.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=402199027364578
6. NYC EMT reunited with family after 103 days
EMT Pat McNulty, who works for NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, was separated from his wife Abby and their children, Ivy and Callum, for 108 days while they stayed with relatives in Rhode Island to avoid exposure to the virus. McNulty celebrated his daughter’s 8th birthday over a video call from 160 miles away during the separation. Fortunately, the family was able to reunite in July, shortly before McNulty’s own birthday.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=597597290899996
7. 50 Mass. ambulances participate in EMS Week ‘Convoy of Champions’
Shifting from tear-jerking to triumphant: During EMS Week this year, dozens of ambulance crews from Massachusetts celebrated the brotherhood, sisterhood and strength of the EMS profession in a “Convoy of Champions” from UMass Medical Center in Worcester to Fenway Park in Boston. Accompanied by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, the rigs filed into the stadium for a ceremony that included video tributes from dignitaries and celebrities, as well as socially-distanced live speakers.
Watch the convoy on its journey below:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=918010268659595&ref=external
8. Retiring paramedic receives emotional sendoff over dispatch
As much as we may love helping people and touching others’ lives positively through our job, most of us still dream of the day we can happily retire with a legacy behind us that we can be proud of. When Highlands County Paramedic Kerry Harris retired this January after 30 years of service, he received an emotional sendoff from his father Wayne Harris, Highland County’s first EMS director.
Listen to that touching last send-off below:
9. Ill. FF-medic performs country song promoting COVID-19 safety
We’ll leave you with a fun video you can share with both your EMS and civilian friends, with a safety-promoting song that might just get stuck in your head. Naperville Firefighter-Paramedic Billy Croft wrote this parody of “Get Your Shine On” by Florida Georgia Line to encourage the public to “Get Your Mask On,” and to provide some levity during the pandemic.
“Life is stressful enough, and this job can be extremely stressful so I’ve always looked at the glass half full and using humor to make somebody smile, that’s sometimes the best medicine,” Croft said in an interview with WBBM NewsRadio.
Watch Croft perform “Get Your Mask On” below:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=external&v=864318713972167
What EMS-related videos have you seen this year that got you to smile, laugh or cry happy tears? Let us know in the comments below!
