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PICTURE THE HUB: GIVING TIME
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nolan Foley
amanda Sallemi
Editor's note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Celebrate Westwood: So why did you guys start volunteering with the ambulance corps?
Amanda: I started volunteering because I had an interest in medicine. My mother made a drastic career change and she inspired me to go into medicine. When I was 16. That's when I started volunteering. What made me stay was when I actually lost a patient.
And for a lot of people that would scare them away from the process, but it actually made me dive deeper and really ingrained my love for medicine and I love all the tricks. I love my community.
Nolan: I started it started with my dad. He started volunteering at 16. And then even before I was a member, I went to meetings and met the people and I love the people. And that's why I stayed.
Celebrate Westwood: So now you guys are you considered full members of the ambulance corps? You're junior members, how does that work?
Amanda: I think both of us are full members. We're both EMT.
Nolan: I've been a member for at least two and a half years you know, of course you have a probationary period that last approximately six months. But both of us stayed and now we're full fledged members and, you know, active responders and it's a good time.
Celebrate Westwood: So do you plan on volunteering when you come back from college?
Amanda: Anytime I'm back home, I volunteer now that I work as an EMT, for the university where we work in partnerships as opposed to larger crews. So now I'm lucky enough to be able to be a vital portion of the crews here. So anytime I'm at home, I try my best to put the truck in service when it's not. A lot of the times it's me, Nolan, and his father and we try our best to put a crew together and I just keep on coming back because I love what I do.
Celebrate Westwood: And then Nolan, you're in high school, right?
Nolan: Yes, I'm a senior in high school.
Celebrate Westwood: So how do you juggle your your time here with all that?
Nolan: So I have a permanent crew on Wednesday nights. And when I can usually volunteer on the weekends on Friday nights, sometimes Saturdays, sometimes Sundays whenever the crews not or the trucks not in service. I'd like to jump on.
Celebrate Westwood: That's awesome and I guess my final question is what would you say to anyone that was kind of in your shoes a couple years ago that's thinking about stepping up. You know what, what would you tell them?
Amanda: I would say if you have any interest in helping your community and don't know how to do it or if you have an interest in medicine, come to one of our meetings meet the people it's truly a family here. There's a reason why someone like me at 16 years old, very impressionable, very, you know, brand new to medicine stayed for so long. It's because you have a great support system here and you learn a lot from the veterans. And it's one of those things where you just make you take that first step to get in touch with our recruitment committee, and you will not regret it.
Nolan: Yeah, these are a couple of the nicest people I've ever met. And I just, just very, I love being on the ambulance. It's just my favorite thing. In the week. I look forward to add every week. I just look forward to the meetings every week. I like seeing the people. I love everything about it.
Amanda: One of the other things that always keeps me coming back to Westwood is actually I'm an Emerson resident and I serve for Westwood because of, you know, their activeness on the ambulance corps.
Nolan: There's nothing more important to me then when I make a difference. So whether it be here or anywhere else, when I have that patient that I really connect with, or you make that difference to the family, not always the patient. It's the most gratifying feeling that I I wish for everyone to feel that at some point in their life. Sometimes not always medicine, but for me it is and it's life changing.
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