I was born in Shelton, CT, grew up with 3 brothers and come from a family of cops, nurses and EMT’s. I, myself, am currently an EMT with Nelson/Access Ambulance. I have been living in Norwalk for the past 15 years and absolutely LOVE living on the coast and being close to the beaches. I enjoy the outdoors and seeking out new and fun adventures. Yes, that does include the crazy adventure of jumping out of a completely good airplane at 14,000 feet! ;)
I have always been passionate about animals, especially dogs and come from a family of animal lovers. Growing up, we always had rescue dogs and cats and I love going horseback riding. Our love of animals as kids even extended to the occasional roadkill squirrel that my brothers and I would try and revive. ;) When I was old enough to start volunteering, I would help out at the Humane Society and fall in love with EVERY animal there.
In addition to being passionate about animals, I am also passionate about helping people who cannot help themselves, in serving the underserved. I discovered my hidden passion of humanitarian relief efforts after Superstorm Sandy in 2012. I drove down to the Jersey Shore with a local church group for the day to help with post disaster cleanup efforts. The combination of being at the front lines along with helping the families that lost everything, including their hope, changed my heart and longing to be involved in humanitarian work from that day forward. Soon after, I applied to the American Red Cross to be a volunteer with specific focus on post disaster relief efforts. Recognizing that I didn’t want to just volunteer but desired to make this a new career is ultimately what led me to become an EMT, where I am able to fulfill my passion of helping others in their greatest times of need and to be on the front lines.
About eight years ago after joining a local non-profit organization that mentors inner city kids in the projects of Bridgeport I met a security guard at one of the schools that we mentor from. I learned he was also a first responder in Bridgeport, and he shared his story with me one day. He divulged a deep need for more programs that specialized in PTSD and suicide prevention for first responders as the number of suicides in that line of work was increasing. Ever since hearing his story and discovering just how underserved first responders are when it comes to accessing mental health resources, I have had a desire to learn all I can about mental health statistics in first responders. I wanted to become part of the solution in helping first responders through their mental health battles. This ultimately led me to go through the CISM training offered by Nelson and become certified to assist both individuals and groups in crisis intervention. I am grateful and blessed to serve on a team that is such a critical component to the overall health and wellbeing of first responders.
