The EMS confession that's going viral: 'This is hard'

Anyone who is involved with the EMS profession understands the toll it can take on its workers. 

In the wake of last Thursday's shootings in Dallas, an anonymous Imgur user writing as an EMT penned an open letter about the challenges and emotional burdens associated with being a first responder.

"I've seen people so up in arms about the very unfortunate deaths that have happened here over the last 3 or 4 days. And it hurts so much to see people willing to divide themselves over what has been going on," he writes, "It stuns me that its [sic.] so easy for humans to be so willing to say someone deserves death."

"I'm tired of watching the world be so willing to damn people to death based on their job, race, religion, or what the hell ever. If you are willing to think that thought, you don't value human life," he added.

"We give up holidays with our families to be with yours. Because you need us. "We might bitch and moan about having to be up in the wee hours of the morning. But the truth is, we wouldn't do anything else."

The post has since been viewed over 5 million times. Of the more than 1,000 user comments posted, the top-ranking comments are overwhelmingly positive.

"I think this is the most meaningful thing I've read in a very, very long time," wrote one user.

I've been contemplating for a couple of days about making a post to inform people of EMS and what we really do. But I cant. After these events the passed few days I've been unable to bring myself to make it. The reason is, I've seen people so up in arms about the very unfortunate deaths that have happened here over the last 3 or 4 days. And I get it, more than you could possibly know. And it hurts so much to see people willing to divide themselves over what has been going on. It makes my heart heavy. It stuns me that its so easy for humans to be so willing to say someone deserves death.We are tired of going to work. We are tired of being called to an apartment at 4 in the morning to someone who has been shot 6 times over piddly shit. What's even more tiring is when we sit there and do everything we can to try and give this person another go at life, but we watch life actually leave this person and he ceases to exist. We are tired of having to tell families that we did everything we possibly could have (and the entire time knowing that, telling them this, it doesn't change a thing) but their loved one has passed away. We are tired of hearing children crying because they're afraid of losing their parent. We are tired of going to funerals for people we know and have become friends with, who lost their life doing their job. We are tired of seeing everyday people lose their loved ones because of some kind of violence that is solely because one street doesn't like another. We are tired of seeing violence in the street because everyday we know someone else is going to lose their life over meaningless "turf". We are tired of seeing how drugs can destroy a family, a neighborhood, and even an entire city.But no matter how tired we get, we still wake up. We get dressed and we walk out the front door. We get on our trucks and we sit next to a person who is probably equally as tired as the rest of us. We don't do it for the money because believe me, we don't make a lot. We wake up every day because, if it was our parents or children out there dying, we would want someone there to help us. We know that we are seeing you on the worst day of your life. We know that you are in the most pain you've ever been in. We know what its like to lose people, because we do it more often than you do. We have held the hand of people as they take their last breath. We have been the last kind face countless people have ever seen. We have held crying mothers, fathers, and children. We have sat late at night wondering what we did wrong, and how we could have been better. But we climb on a truck every day. We give up holidays with our families to be with yours. Because you need us. We might bitch and moan about having to be up in the wee hours of the morning. But the truth is, we wouldn't do anything else. -- EMS Me personally. I'm tired of watching the world be so willing to damn people to death based on their job, race, religion, or what the hell ever. If you are willing to think that thought, you don't value human life. Take it from anyone of us. In the last moments of someones life you see them for who they really are. More often than not, they are scared. And honestly, I'm scared when I watch it happen. My heart slams my chest in agony and all I can think is "DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE HERE FOR DON'T FAIL!" And very few times have I not failed, sometimes I'm the hero everyone thinks we are. But most of the time the damage someone has decided to do to this human laying in front of me is too great to repair. And no doctor on the planet could save this person. And it kills me to think that this outcome is what someone wanted. It hurts so bad. It hurts so bad because you realize in that moment that human life isn't something to be taken lightly. It carries a weight you could hardly imagine.I'm ashamed of some of you people. But I am also proud of some of you people. The ones who truly care. Please, for me and everyone like me, don't stop caring.I WILL make a post about EMS and what we really do. And I will be trying to get with other EMS personnel to post our craziest work stories. But I just needed to get this off my chest first.

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