Ray Neal (3 August 2020)
Ray Alston Neal
Graduated: 89/90 (repeated Form 5)
– PCP-IV for BCEHS (British Columbia Emergency Health Services – West Coast Canada)
– Paramedic working Medical/Trauma car in Vancouver (ongoing opioid crisis – the worse in Canada; predated the current Covid pandemic)
“I don’t consider myself a hero. I am educated, trained and paid (thus incented) to do this job. I love what I do and couldn’t do anything else. From my perspective, the nurses and doctors working solely on the Covid wards deserve the praise. While we appreciate the accolades we have received recently…little of our day to day has changed (except for the increased donning/doffing of PPE). In truth, we experienced a slight lull in call volume as most people (correctly) avoided the hospital.
Things are starting to normalize. I am also fortunate to work and live in Greater Vancouver. Our population has been cooperative and compliant for the most part. We also do not have the proliferation of Covid as other provinces in Canada. Compared to the US, we have done a better job. As a first responder in British Columbia, I tip my hat to colleagues elsewhere in Canada.
The US is also more negatively affected as they do not have universal healthcare as we do in Canada. The marginalized, impoverished, uneducated and immuno-compromised are even more so greatly represented in infections and deaths in the US when compared to Canada.
A life of service is a life of sacrifice. You must offer a portion of your mind-share to containing the madness of the world. Your view of humanity, the world and the future will be altered. It is easy to lose one’s perspective in your personal life, as your identity becomes entrenched in your profession. We must not let our personal life suffer. Maintain balance. Seek help if (when) you need it. We are not meant to see some of what you will encounter.
To do my job (as a paramedic) and truly care makes me vulnerable to the pain, angst, joy, confusion, fulfilment, loss you will encounter in the job. I must feel those things, however, to do it right. As such, I must also find positive means of cathartic release. For me God is my compass. He doesn’t change. He is a fixed point, a rock and an anchor. We will need that now and going forward. We always will. He enables me to do what I do. He is our ultimate example of true love and service.”
Ray….for all that you do, we thank and salute you!!!!