10/29/2025
Hello again, everyone. As stated in our previous post, an early morning power outage has caused a delay in revealing our announcement.
Adding on to this delay, I am only within the past few minutes finding out about the untimely passing of a dear friend and colleague, Nath's Voice.
Nathalie was one of the first people I worked with on an ambulance after completing my training as a Paramedic, here in WNC. The agency we both worked for, regularly responded to calls for injured persons in both State and National Parks in the area. Our first call together, an injured mountain biker who had a painful closed deformity of his ankle, later to be confirmed as a tib/fib fracture. ( As Paramedics, we legally can't diagnose injuries or illness in the field unless it's an obvious fatality...)
While I was already comfortable with my treatment options for trauma patients, I still sometimes struggle with basic interaction - talking to people, asking questions about pain and comfort level, etc. Nath was quick to pick up on that in me, and without any hint of judgement, she stepped right in and handled those parts of the patient transport, as we had a long ride on the modified bed of an ATV before we arrived back at the ambulance.
After completing the call, she approached me - again, without even the slightest hint of judgement or animosity being directed at me - we discussed the call while cleaning and restocking the ambulance. We talked about what went well, what could have been better, and together we were able to establish a plan to help me become more comfortable with talking to my patients.
We even talked about how my experience going through the program was so much different from everyone else, because COVID hit right in the middle for me. We weren't afforded the regular amount of hands-on with a real live patient training due to the increased risk of infection. Not only that, but we also talked about more personal aspects. Such as, how it sometimes takes me a little longer to fully understand something (I was later diagnosed with Autism.) And how I always had difficulty staying focused when I was trying to study, now and especially when I was younger (also diagnosed with ADHD.)
Then she shared with me a little bit of her experience growing up with Fanconi Anemia, or FA. She shared with me about how she had received a bone marrow transplant when she was still a kid. She shared with me that she had already surpassed the average life expectancy of someone with FA. Not only that, but she even shared with me - without words, mind you - how grateful she was for every single moment she had on this Earth.
From that day on, I knew that she was so much more than the short and cute "Polly Pocket Paramedic"
She had well established her position in my book as a true BADASS: Band Aid Distribution and Application System Specialist, as well as one hell of a Paramedic to look up to. The genuine care and compassion that she displayed for each and every patient she had contact with; and her absolute love for the type of work we do - even when it's really tough - will always continue to be an inspiration to me personally.
All I have left to say now, is that I will continue to pray for her family, and I certainly hope that she is able to rest easy. And with thanks to your inspiration and encouragement, I'll take it from here, my friend... We love you, and we will greatly miss you. 73's
