On my shoulder...

You know in cartoons an angel will pop up on one shoulder of the character and a devil on the other shoulder, and they debate on what choice to make? Isn't weird when stuff like that happens to us in real life. Today for me it wasnt quite a choice but rather the angel telling me why I love this job and the devil making me want to quit it immediately. Long story short, I ended up working nearly 36 straight hours from Friday morning till Saturday afternoon. The last call we ran was a head on accident involving injuries to a father, mother, and son. Now when I hear these three together I think of some happy family. Oh no, think absolute white trash, and the accident was caused because both husband and wife were more hammered than I have ever been (and Im not kidding), and Dad was driving. But if that wasnt enough the accident also happened because Dad was busy punching Mom. Isnt life wonderful? Mind you, all of this was before noon. After long medical exams and rescue efforts, I jumped in the back of the medics rig to help transport the son (a sweet little 5-year-old) and dad. Heres is where the angel and devil part kicked in. As I crouched between the two for most of the one hour transport, on my right I had the son, a scared little kid I spent the entire time trying to calm and assure that everything was going to be okay, that we were helping him. On my left was dad, screaming with drunken, muderous rage about how he was going to kill me, beat the fu&$ out of me, and called me every nasty thing you could ever imagine. Of course he was handcuffed to the gurney, so he wasnt going anywhere. Oh, also he threatened to sue me numerous times and tried to convince his son to hate us. Now here was the most depressing part, 5-year-old son trying to calm father, telling him that we are here to help him. So like I said, everything I could ever love about this job on my right side. Helping someone who actually needs it, making a difference to this little kid, calming someone who is scared. This is why I do this, this is why I love this job, I get to help people who really need it. Then there was my left, every reason that makes this job so hard sometimes. Someone who needs medical help but not only don't they want it, they want to harm you for trying to help. It is honestly depressing to see the situation this kid lived in... abusive, drunk father (and mom wasnt much better, I just didnt have to deal with her on the transport. Normally I think that it is a really bad thing for kids to be in orphanges and what not, but not here. I hope more than anything that dad spends a long time in prison for drunken driving, wife and possible child abuse, and everything else. No child deserves to grow up in these conditions. And while maybe because of what happened today, this kid wont, but there are still countless others who live with it every day. Dealing with the dregs of society is such an experience, it makes you angry and it makes you sad. You appreciate what you have had all your life, but you feel helpless to make any difference. I guess thats what being in the EMS field is all about, teaching as well, and many other professions. You arent going to change the world, but maybe you can change a few lives. Cheesy, I know, but also true.
In all, however, it was a long 36 hours, but also very intense and exciting. I learned a lot and got to do a lot I hadnt done before. I just know that for the moment I hate snow.