One morning I witnessed a terrible accident (moped vs car) where the victim was thrown into the middle of the highway. Once I was able to pull off on the side of the road and get out of my car, I observed a young man on his knees doing CPR. I assisted him until local EMS arrived, and took over resuscitation. He continued to assist with CPR, but unfortunately, after an extended resuscitation time, the victim did not survive despite all efforts.
After the event, I reflected on how fortunate I was to live in this community, and have such a dedicated EMS responder diligently try to save a life. I wanted his name, so I could tell his Chief, and the County Medical Director what a great job he did, and how hard he worked to save the victim. When I approached him afterward and asked his name, he replied "Stephen Whedbee." I know I had a puzzled look on my face because in the back of my mind I knew the name but didn't recognize him (that's because he had on a baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and fishing attire). He then reminded me how I knew him. Stephen is a Nurse on CICU, and had just worked a 12-hour night shift, and was headed fishing when he saw the wreck.
So instead of writing a letter to the local EMS letting them know how diligently this young man worked to save someone's life, I am sending this to you. How fortunate we are to have him provide care to our patients, and be a part of our team!