winsor 186 #1 December 13, 2016 This article was hard to read. When my son at the age of three asked if there was a Santa Claus, I told him there was a person named Nicholas who was known for his benevolence, and that we commemorate his memory with traditions in his honor. I think the guy who got this assignment is a study in decency, and understand how devastating this experience must have been. One of the reasons I am not on a volunteer ambulance squad is because one is guaranteed to come across scenes that will remain etched in one's memory for life, and I'm not up for it. I have known very tough men and women that were destroyed by one horrific accident or another, and I no longer kid myself about how tough I am. Helping a 5 year old die is more than I could handle. BSBD, Winsor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,122 #2 December 13, 2016 Thanks for posting that. I saw a link on FB, but there's too much crap linked on FB, so I never go to them. I'm glad I saw it; now I'm crying. Wendy P.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baronn 111 #3 December 13, 2016 This man realized his higher calling. Had no idea what he was walking into and no idea what to say when he got there. He was simply a carrier for a Much bigger message. That call didn't just happen. He didn't just make it in time. That was part of his job and he stepped up. Brutal situation? No doubt. Is what he did in each 1 of us? I believe so. I don't know if or when my calling will happen. None of us do. We can only prepare and be ready when it does. May I be so lucky as this kind being. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyDekker 1,123 #4 December 13, 2016 Couldn't agree with you more Winsor. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,048 #5 December 13, 2016 Hi winsor, I read about that earlier today. That is a very tough one. QuoteI am not on a volunteer ambulance squad Earlier this year a rural Oregon volunteer firefighter was called out on an auto accident. Only to find his teenage daughter was one of the fatalities. Jerry Baumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 34 #6 December 14, 2016 I read that yesterday. If you can get through reading that and not cry, you're not human."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
winsor 186 #7 December 15, 2016 Update. The original story has video of the Santa's narrative, and it is pretty convincing. Since they gave the location of the guy's work, and said that he was at the ICU in 15 minutes, that really whittles down the number of possible hospitals (one). A search of obituaries in that area over the claimed time period yielded crickets, so that part doesn't ring true, nor does his running away afterwards. However, much of the rest is plausible. The claim that a kid can't be lucid one moment and dead the next is false. My sister called her husband when her condition went to hell, he made it there, and she died in mid-sentence. In any event, there is nothing quite as crushing as being helpless to save a little kid. An American who returned from serving as a Medic in Aleppo reported being particularly haunted by the kids who made it to the aid station for whom there was no hope. Don't get me wrong, I am trained in emergency services and will grab my first aid kit and fire extinguisher and run to the site of an accident if I am there before first responders arrive, but there is no way in hell I could handle working in a pediatric ICU. Regardless of quite how much of the story is accurate, it is not one that evokes my fundamental cynicism. BSBD, Winsor Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,384 #8 December 16, 2016 Or maybe not fake after all: http://www.wbir.com/news/local/santa-story-of-final-christmas-wish/370486645"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nataly 38 #9 December 16, 2016 Oh my gosh... A beautiful thing but hard/upsetting to read. Thank you for posting - real or not."There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites