The Central Texas Paramedic Team proudly
announces that our own Mark Hawkins, special operations paramedic and
captain, honor guardsman, triathlete, and bike mechanic guru, is now
President of the Muddy Angels organization. Congrats, Mark!!
Our little team from Texas has been making the trek to the northeast now for sixth years. Six years. Our first ride was in 2007, there were about 50 riders, and we were the only team from the other side of the mason-dixon line. Now, in 2012, there are two routes. Now, there are over 100 riders, coming as far as Ireland and Canada. We also have good friends we ride with from Seattle, Colorado, Nevada, Minnesota, and many others. We have sadly had to expand the list of those we honor from Texas and across the country. We have lost fellow riders. The ride is a family, though, so "fellow rider" doesn't do Greg or Lori justice to how deeply they touched our hearts or the emptiness we feel that they are no longer with us.
In 2006, there was a tragic accident in Travis County. I woke up to do crew change in south west Austin. I then began to receive multiple pages regarding an ambulance accident inside the county. We turned on the TV. We learned it was an ambulance from Marble Falls, a community nestled in the gorgeous hill country. Many of my classmates I graduated with were serving that community. I turned over my pager and keys to my relief, got in my car, and I started making phone calls. I was heading northbound on mopac home when I quickly flew across multiple lanes of traffic to head to Brackenridge Hospital. The accident involved a pick-up truck and the ambulance, they hit head on in the early morning hours and it was lightly raining. The crew was heading back from Austin after delivering a patient to one of the hospitals in the city. Eric Hanson, one of my classmates, was killed instantly. His partner, Kyla Wilson, was a friend from my University of Texas days and graduated from the same paramedic program in the class after mine. She was being transported to the hospital as well as the driver of the pick up truck. She is the sole survivor of that accident but because of the injuries she has sustained, she has not been able to physically return to work. Since then, she has gone back to school and graduated with her masters in social work.
Shortly after returning from the ride in 2008, central Texas suffered another loss. Stephanie Waters had been a paramedic for Marble Falls EMS. Her mother was a paramedic for Marble Falls EMS and her husband was a fellow medic at Austin/Travis County EMS. A life long dream for her, as for many paramedics, was to become a flight paramedic. She began working for PHI aeromedical service. Stephanie was killed with her flight crew and patient during a transport early one morning.
Tracy Chambers was a paramedic for 20 years for Williamson County EMS, the county directly north of Austin. She also helped begin and served on their honor guard. She and her husband had moved out west to Alpine, Texas; she was pursuing a life long dream of being a flight medic. Shortly after starting with Air Ambulance Stat in 2010, she was killed in an accident shortly after take off with her crew, her patient, and the patient's husband.
So, how did we get involved with this ride, anyhow? The week of Eric's funeral, I was catching up on my back issues of JEMS (Journal of Emergency Medical Services). I caught an article by Steve Berry (www.iamnotanambulancedriver.com) about the bike ride. Soon after, our little team formed and we've been back ever since. We couldn't imagine spending this weekend in May any other way.
This year's bike ride leaves from Boston on May 19th and arrives in Alexandria, Virginia on May 25th. Please follow our blog for musings and photos!
A few last thoughts for the evening...
Please follow us on twitter @emsbiketeam
Most importantly, please help put an EMS memorial in Washington DC.
