By EMS1 Staff
EMS providers and their first responder brethren incur cumulative stress by the very nature of the work – the long hours, the exposure to trauma, the on-the-go lifestyle. Focusing on physical and mental wellness helps to combat burnout, and to thrive in a career that – though demanding in every way – is also incredibly rewarding.
The human connections made with patients and their families can be instantaneous, and show how much it means to patients to have someone competent and compassionate answer their call for help.
We asked our Facebook community, “What’s the nicest thing a patient has ever said to you?” From the humorous to the heartfelt, we hope you enjoy these patient comments as much as we did, and that they remind you why you chose a career in EMS.
“‘Thank you’...it’s all I ever need.❤️” — Lynda Anne Fisher
“Had a CPR save of a 38 y/o. One year late while working a minor wreck near her street corner, she walked up to me, hugged me and gave me a wholehearted thank you. Let’s me know why I still love the career I chose.” — Sean Morganti
“‘You are my hero.’” — Lori-Suzanne Dell
“‘Your heart weeps with soul.’” — Melissa Burke
“‘My beautiful angel’” — Kelly Riley
“‘I feel safe.’” — Lauren Bosley
“‘Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here today.’” — Kevin White
“‘You are a safe port in a stormy sea’” — Susan Tydings Frushour
“‘Thank you for being kind’...I always try ? — Donna Fields Freiermuth
“‘I remember your smile. Thank you for your kindness and care. Thank you for saving my life.’” — Christina Taylor
“‘Thank you for holding my hand...’” — Lily Bramble
“‘You saved my life I am naming all my children after you!’” — Lisa M Linton
“‘Thank you so much’ Then gave me a hug” — Jason Preston
“‘You’re the cutest thing that graced my presence today. Thank you for all that you do’ ~ 87 year old woman” — Katie Kat Phelps
“Was in plainclothes (Volly fire) working with a park ranger to bandage a kids head and he looked up at the ranger and said ‘you’re a nice police officer’. Then he looked at me and pondered for a second and said ‘you’re a nice...ambulance person’. To this day most sincere compliment I’ve received in EMS.” — Paul O’Donnell
“From a Lyndon Frequent Flyer, ‘You’re the only one who is nice to me.’” — Roy Northcutt
“My elderly, barely non speaking patient blew me a kiss after I treated him and got him settled in the hospital.” — Gina Tessari
“Had a patient ask me to marry him. We were taking him to a nursing home and he was 103 yo” — Jacqueline Stegeman
“Had a woman going to hospice, as we were getting her situated in her room she asked me if she could adopt me” — Greg Mcallister
“‘Thank you for saving my life’ from a patient who had overdosed”— Roni Koval
“Also had a lovely Russian lady pt in the midst of a mental health crisis. I happened to call her ‘my love’ as a colloquialism while I was taking her vitals, and as I said goodbye to her at VGH, she thanked me for my love. That almost made water leak from my eyes.” — Shelley O’Rourke
“‘Let me get you some grapes and cheese before you take me to the hospital. And I also have bottled water for you.’” — Justin Vasquez
“A World War II veteran wanted to shake my hand for my service, but actually was an honor to shake his hand and have a great conversation during the call...” — James Cassin
“I picked up an elderly patient who’d been released from the VA a week earlier, and now had horrifyingly gangrenous feet. They were oozing and smelled like death. I did my best to hide my horror and pity. He apologized over and over for the smell. When I thanked him for his service, he said that it had been worth it to see young people (my partner and I) doing great things and having opportunities he didn’t have. ♥️” — Dana Evans Owens
“Going to dinner while on duty and go to pay our bills and a member of the community picked up the tab. No words needed” — Marie Lager-Kurtz
“Not patient but daughter ‘thank you for giving me a chance to say goodbye’” — Sarah Ann Gills
“Drove a stage 4 CA patient around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. She cried because we did this and her and her fam thanks us for that.” — James Shiplet
“I just so happened to be near the scene of a car wreck one day. As soon as it happened I ran over to check the guy and he said ‘Man, there really are angels among us.’” — Mike Garrett
“One time we had a patient give us his lunch. We picked him up at work and he wasn’t from America. He was working to become a citizen. It escapes me what country he was from. He was so thankful to be in America, he couldn’t stop telling us how great Americans were. He was working for a small company packaging food. He didn’t make much money, was supporting his family, couldn’t afford to let alone go to the hospital but he thanked us by giving us each a part of the meal he had packed from his lunch sack. An apple, a small bag of chips and someone got a sandwich. We didn’t want to take it from him because it wasn’t a big deal for us to go grab a bite to eat of our own but he insisted. It would have been rude to decline. So here is a guy with probably nothing to his name trying to make ends meet and he still finds a way to serve those who were serving him. That was by far the most kind thing anyone has done for me on a call. Thanks for reminding me of that.” — Terry Golden Jr.
“‘It’s really sad that they let you stop being a doctor when they amputated your legs. But i still think you’re fine young man.’ -87 year old patient. I’m not a doctor, nor am I a man, nor are my legs amputated?” — Ash Allen
“Living in a small town you know a lot of people so it was bound to happen that I had to do CPR on a very dear friend. Who did not survive. When his 10 year old son Looked at his mother and and said ‘mommy god really must of wanted daddy because even Brenda couldn’t save him.’” — Brenda Parker Gagne
“I had one of my favorite patients ever tell me before I put him on a helicopter for what would be his final ride.... that he loved me! And that I made his life so much better by being there. I miss him everyday” — Danielle Johnson
“Had a pt make a homemade gift for me and leave it at the nurses station for them to give me the next time I came in with a long thank you note for respecting and treating her and her mother so well. I still have the gift that rides in my rig with me” — Britni Martinez
“‘Im glad it was you’ ... I work in a rural setting and know many of the people in my area, or people in their family” — Amanda Staggs
“‘You are an angel. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you.’” — Deidre Lynn Palmer
“‘You look like that guy that does the sing-a-longs in the car with the celebrities’” — Danny Murdock
“‘I’m glad it was you who showed up for me today’” — Kenny Hayes
“‘Here ...’ *slips me a Benjamin* of course I could not accept” — Kevin Emma
“‘I’ll put you in my…’ then he died!” — Steve Stockhauser
What’s the nicest thing a patient or a family member ever said to you? Let us know in the comments and share this article with your colleagues to put a smile on their face.