Deschutes Public Library

Riding the lightning, a year in the life of a New York City paramedic, Anthony Almojera

eng

autobiography

no index present

non fiction

Riding the lightning

1322270295

Anthony Almojera

a year in the life of a New York City paramedic

A seasoned medical technician and union leader tells the story of New York City's darkest days during one of the greatest challenges the city's medical first responders have ever faced--the COVID-19 pandemic"As a seasoned paramedic and union leader, Anthony Almojera thought he could handle anything the job threw at him. Like many medical first responders, he came from a troubled background and carried the traumas of the city as well as its triumphs. He had grown up in the rough-and-tumble Park Slope of the 1980s, been homeless for a time, and watched murder, addiction, and hopelessness consume those closest to him. But he had dedicated his life to helping people in need, and while every day was filled with horror -- stabbings, shootings, accidents, suicides -- it also brought moments of uplift: births, resuscitations, and rescues that reminded Anthony and his coworkers why EMS was the most thrilling job on earth (even if the pay was lousy and the hours were long). So, when a strange new virus began spreading in New York, Anthony and his fellow medics were ready. They had done the biohazard drills; they knew the procedures, and how to handle the sick and the bereaved. They believed that their lives and training had prepared them for this new challenge. But the months ahead would prove them wrong, and would push New York's EMS workers, and Anthony himself, to the breaking point -- and beyond." --, Inside front jacket flap