Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
For 19 years, the people at AccessChurch have been sending teams into the streets of Brisbane to minister to those who are less fortunate. The teams visit hostels, half-way homes, and other locations where the poor and mentally ill live. We arrived and went to work with the crew making sandwiches, heating up meat pies and filling containers with sweets, like doughnuts. Access also serves hot coffee, Milo and tea. After preparing the food, we…
The Praying Nurse
Jayne came to work despite the nagging pain in her hip, back, and neck. Nursing is her job. She loves what she does, even if the physical demands cause chronic pain. We picked up our patient at a nursing home. She was a few days post-operative for abdominal surgery. After spending less than 24 hours at the nursing home, she developed an abscess to her abdominal wall and needed to go back to the hospital….
The Guitar Player
Tom (not his real name) was a guitar player. Whether or not he’ll play again remains to be seen. I found him in the emergency room screaming in pain. My new friend is a guitar picker by night and works a manufacturing job by day. He was helping to move a large sheet of Plexiglas several inches thick, weighing close to 500 pounds, when it crashed to the ground on top of his fingers. The…
The Chaplain and The Medic
Early one morning, I saw a middle-aged hospital chaplain walking through a deserted hospital corridor. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw him. His arm was in a sling. I walked toward him and stretched out my hand. “I see I might be too late.” His right arm was in a sling and he carried a small pile of books in his left hand. We shook hands awkwardly. “I was going to ask if…
My Partner Was a Door Gunner
Not all EMTs discover their calling straight out of high school. Some of us take a few detours. The guy I worked with today took some interesting ones. My normal partner is gone for a while on another assignment. My temporary partner called out sick. So today I worked with a rover; a guy who doesn’t have a regular partner or unit. For a rover, every day it’s another partner (or two) a different ambo,…