An amazing paramedic

Jackie is quite a remarkable woman. Her life has been one of determination and accomplishments, always in service to others.

Jackie could read at the age of three, so started school at four. (No kindergarten when she was a gifted child.) She excelled in school thanks to her quick mind and her love of reading. She began university at age sixteen, but soon dropped out due to boredom. Life in the “real” world held more challenges, which she craved.

She worked in various odd jobs in Boston and New York. She went to California, where she lived for seventeen years. She married and along with her spouse started a small company. Two adorable children came along, but so too did the end of her marriage. Suddenly Jackie found herself the sole breadwinner of her little family of three. Life in a city was too tough for that, so she went to a rural area to be near the kids’ grandfather. She knew the importance of having a mature male role model for her young children.

Jobs were scarce in that area, but Jackie found a way. By chance she met a fellow managing a local paper and she offered her services. Life was exciting for her as she tracked down stories, learned about the community, and honed her journalism skills. She worked tirelessly with dedication and passion. One story she particularly liked was about the local Volunteer Fire Department.

Pay was minimal at best, but money had never been a top priority for Jackie. She had always been driven by a need to use her intelligence and many talents in ways that would serve her family or the community, never herself. Her rewards were the satisfaction of using her many skills, doing what was important for her, and having an impact on the lives of others.

Jackie adored her children and all of her free time was spent encouraging them to read, to explore, to use their imaginations, and to behave politely and respectfully towards others. But tragedy struck quickly and severely one night at home when her beloved ten-year-old daughter died unexpectedly from a brain hemorrhage.

Of course, the family was devastated, but Jackie remained determined to keep her nose above water and to create a new and meaningful life for herself and her son.

On the night of her daughter’s death she was frantic as to whom to call, but then she remembered the article she had written about the Volunteer Fire Department. They immediately came to help. Over time the memory of their kindness became a lifeline of hope for Jackie. So, within a few weeks she mustered the courage to go to there and to become a volunteer. She was graciously welcomed as part of the team.

With her sense of determination and excellence, Jackie (sometimes with her five-year-old son) was soon rappelling down the sides of buildings, learning basic resuscitation techniques, and practicing what to do for heart attack and stroke victims. With time she was riding in the ambulance helping poor souls in the area who needed help.

Happily Jackie married one of the firemen-paramedics and he encouraged her to push herself to her limits. She started official training to become not only a licensed paramedic, but also a teacher of EMT (Emergency Medical Technicians). He urged her to do her field internship in an inner city, where gun shot and knife wounds, rapes, muggings, and gang wars were all part of a day’s work.

Jackie thrived, excelled and graduated with honors. She returned to her home and continued her ongoing commitment to the community, which she loved and which appreciated her tremendously. Eventually her achievements as a volunteer paramedic and teacher became known and she was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by her state for her devoted efforts.

Jackie brushes all praise aside, saying, “Just think of the thousands of other people who risk their lives everyday to help others. They often go unnoticed and unappreciated. Those are the ones who deserve our praise.”

When her son left home for college and work, Jackie missed him, of course, but knew she could never sit at home pining away. She looked around her community to see where help was needed. And before long she found herself teaching kindergarten kids how to read. Of course she volunteers to do this rewarding work, as well as continuing her EMT teaching. “I don’t need the money,” she says, “And I’ve never really worked with that in mind anyway. My pay is being a member of a thriving community and knowing I do my small part to make it be so. And besides, it is fun!”