As his former colleague and now EMS Captain, if you were type M in my county mail, under sent mail, his would be the only name you would see. I am referring to Jorge. It was emotionally painful to be by his side on Sunday. There were so many who would have gladly taken my spot and they were with us Sunday morning.. As I rode with him to JMH I wanted to share with him just some of what we have experienced together over the past 12 years. I know it was difficult for him and it was agonizing to see him laying helpless and totally dependent on others. There were so many people by his side, early Sunday morning that continue to be there for him. When Chief Downey showed-up there was no question that whatever needed to get done for him was going to get done. Kendall Trauma respected the request of his family to have him transferred. Kendalls staff was with us the whole way from when he arrived by Air Rescue South to their facility to his arrival at JMH later in the day. They went above and beyond what was required of them. So, as we flew above the streets of Westchester I clinched his leg and thought about: The time when Squrt-16 and Rescue-16 were dispatched to a rollover on SW 192 Avenue and 376 Street just after midnight. Rescue-16 (Jorge and his boys) arrived and cancelled us. Several hours later, the Squrt gets another call. When I walked into the dayroom to had out to the bay, I could have sworn that Al Goding was holding an alligator in his arms. I didnt look twice, I just headed for the truck. Later the next day, I finally woke up from my after shift recovery nap and turned on the television. There it was. News truck in front of Station-16. Patient (in a neck brace) alleges that crews transported alligator instead of her. Classic. Then there was the AMR room. I received a lot of ball busting about kicking AMR out of the station. You see we had other plans on B shift and it was good to be the station captain. There was no other place for the guys to hold Sunday jam sessions in the station. The back room was cleared out to accommodate the band. Ryan Townsend, Eddy Alarcon and Jorge would assemble their equipment on Sundays and just start playing. I cant leave out Brian Gelabert, who didnt play but was always there to help with the set up and tear down. They were kind to let me jump in and play the drums, using simple songs like Joan Jett and AC/DC to make me feel as if I still had it. Who would have thought that those jam sessions would lead to actual bands? Old School became one of my all time favorite movies because it was the only movie that sat in the DVD player The rescue crew would go on a call, pause it and come back and play it. That meant there was a lot of pausing and playing. I cant forget their trips to WalMart and the portable Pac Man machines they would hook up to Randys television in Frank Spadaros old office. So, we continue to pray for him. I guess if Jorge had to plan the next step it would be some type of fundraising event at the union hall or some other establishment that involves - bands and maybe even togas. There will probably be requests for leave donations, give if you can. So, lets figure out how we can make it happen so that while we cant be a part of his actual treatment, we can be an essential part of his recovery both physically and mentally. God Bless you Jorge. There is no question that you are loved and respected by so many. The caliber of individuals who stand by your side are the same ones that I would want by my side (knock on wood).
Posted on: Tue, 20 May 2014 13:09:59 +0000
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