EMT Dispatcher Firefighter
My journey to becoming a First Responder began at 14 years old with joining the Middletown Police Explorers. I wanted nothing more than to be a police officer and eventually to be a Forensic Behavioral Profiler. My body had other plans. After working for private contract security for 14 years including as a manufacturer plant fireman, my future wife at the time convinced me to become an EMT. Upon finishing EMT class, I became a dispatcher for LIFE STAR and an EMT for Cromwell Fire serving as Training Officer, Haddam EMS via ERM, Travelers PGA Golf Tournament as EMS and Dispatch, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway for NASCAR Races as Grandstand EMS and Dispatch. In 2021, I joined the Connecticut State Police serving the Thin Gold Line as a 911 Telecommunicator.
In 2017, my life turned on its head while battling a very aggressive form of breast cancer. After 18 months of treatment, multiple procedures, and surgeries, I returned to the road as an EMT in January 2019. On my second shift back, I suffered an L4 fracture on my spine from osteoporosis from chemo no one knew I had. I lost feeling in both legs and spent a full week in the hospital. I still do not have full feeling in my left leg and periodically it does not work. I medically retired from the road, from a job I loved. I wrote a break-up letter as a “Dear John” sort of as a joke to my beloved purple stethoscope but it was cathartic at the same time.
Like so many in our fields, I have experienced bad calls, calls that have stuck with me and my battles with PTSD are well known. I tried to hide it. After losing many friends to PTSD like I’ve battled, I decided to advocate and raise awareness on social media platforms. My journey with PTSD will be lifelong but it will not always be a battle as I learn to manage it. Therefore, I’ve made it a goal to be there for others to help them not feel as alone as I’ve felt.
In my spare time, I am an avid Women’s Basketball Fan. My friends jokingly call it, “Going to Church,” when I go to a game because of how closely I follow the sport. What many don’t realize, following basketball or sports in general helps me with managing PTSD. The same with gaming, playing, and streaming Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and Diablo. People enjoy watching me die in awesome and spectacular fashion. I also make TikToks to raise awareness for PTSD and Cancer, as well as videos of the antics of my cats Defib, Ravenpaw, and Rafiki as well as the shenanigans between my wife Heather and I to help people who might be having a bad day. People have approached us and have told us just that. This is what drives me to continue to be there for others when I can’t be out there on the road the way I want to be.