To the EMT's that helped me the other night,

I know that being an EMT is your job. You're probably supposed to be nice, helpful, and caring towards those who call you to their rescue. To be honest, I never would have expected myself ever really needing you to come to my rescue but I wanted to say thank you for being more than just someone in a uniform doing your job.

When I saw you and recognized you from my coffee pouring days I felt so embarrassed, sitting there on my bathroom floor not knowing that I was having a panic attack. But then relief fell upon my worried mind. Seeing a familiar face, hearing a voice that I knew was so much more soothing and comforting than being under the care of a complete stranger. Even though I only knew how you liked your coffee in the morning. I was so afraid to get on the stretcher and be in the ambulance all alone. I walked down my stairs and outside like a zombie. It felt like I was watching over myself with no control of my body or breathing.

To the EMT that I didn't know, thank you for being so kind and patient with me. I was a mess when y'all arrived but you were patient and understanding while I tried to spit out the words to tell you about the events leading up to your arrival to my house. It was so difficult and frustrating feeling like I couldn't express how I was feeling, but you just sat there while I slowly regained a little bit of breath to actually get it out. Thank you for telling me about what you were about to do and explaining how it was going to help me before actually beginning the process. It made me have even more respect for you and your profession. It also made me realize how important it is to the infants and toddlers that I take care of that I tell them what I'm doing to help them before actually doing it. You made me feel more comfortable with what was about to happen, especially since I have no clue about the medical field besides knowing how to put a band-aid on.

Thank you both for trying to connect with me to make me feel better. It really helped me get my mind off of what was going on and preventing me from having another panic attack. You probably didn't even realize that asking me about my relationship with someone that you've known since grade school would be helpful to calming me down, but it was. I'm not sure if you did it on purpose but asking me about my coffee pouring days got me thinking about how lucky I am to have the current job that I have.

Thank you a million times for reassuring me that I was going to be okay and that everything was going to get better. Sometimes all a person needs to hear is that it will get better. I still have that silly rash that prompted the call, but I think I know why and I'm on the road to fixing it. I greatly appreciate your help along the way and will always support y'all.

Seriously,
A more than grateful citizen