Faces and Places

There is a 1-year-old child choking; what would you do to help? There is a 34-year-old man who collapses while walking; would you know what to do? These types of events can happen to anyone at any time. Do you know how to handle a situation of that kind?
I am a 26-year-old Hispanic man who loves to help anyone, no matter where they are from or who they are. When someone is in need of help, I want to be the one who can make a difference or even save his or her life.

Finding my way to Lancaster County EMS was the result of a quick right turn into an EMS station one day while on a family reunion trip to my brother’s home in Indian Land. Most paramedics have a curiosity about other EMS systems in areas they are visiting and I am no different. Usually I find a system that is woefully in need of better equipment, medical protocols and better personnel.

I initially received my training as an EMT through the military while deployed during Desert Storm as a hospital corpsman in the Navy in 1991. I also volunteered with Bethune Rescue Squad. When Springs Industries plant in Kershaw began its reduction in the workforce, I sought and found full-time employment with Kershaw County EMS as an EMT. I advanced to the intermediate level and eventually became a paramedic/supervisor.

In the fall of 2006, I was the stay-at-home mother of two boys – Matt, 12, and Mason, 4. With my youngest child starting kindergarten the following year, I felt it was time for me to think about going back to work. Most of my work experience was in retail, and frankly, I had no desire to return to it. This was a new opportunity to me, and I wanted a career – not just a job, but a career that would set a good example for my boys and make them proud of their mom.