WE ALWAYS TRIED TO GO THE EXTRA MILE

I cannot reveal, or show, this lady patient in the wheelchair, but let's call her Doris. She was loved by all the ambulance crews.

 Sadly Doris is no longer with us. She was one of my favourite patients, amongst many, and I collected her from a nursing home three times a week to take to a nearby hospital for kidney dialysis.  Doris was wheelchair bound but could be transferred to a seat with some assistance.  

She was one of 6 patients I transferred three times a week and it became quite a social occasion for them, although obviously all of them would prefer to have normally functioning kidneys. 

After four hours on dialysis machines I took them all back home again, spending those four hours amusing myself at the seaside, sometimes enjoying the beautiful countryside and walking around my favourite lake. It was a great job! Wasn't I lucky to do this for two years before I went onto other duries.

I always took Doris home first, since she lived nearest to the hospital and at the nursing home they became quite fond of me; always offering me some cake and a cup of tea and staying for a chat and a joke.  

Must be the lad's charm, working!

Doris was a very likeable lady, always smiling and making the best if things - she was born and lived at the seaside town an longed to see more of the sea front, since there was no-one available to take her.  I made sure that was put right so I arrived 10 minutes early next day and treated her to a slow journey right across the entire sea front and back again,  She could see it perfectly from the ambulance and as an extra treat I drove onto the sands on a nearby beach so she could see  a grand view of the pier. Then we drove to the dialysis unit. 

She was so thrilled - it was almost as if I had given her £100.

I made sure I did this for her every time.

During that year at the sea front was constructed a big wheel which she admired and said she'd love to ride on it  I surprised her one day - I journeyed in my own car one Saturday and arrived at the nursing home and said I had a special treat for her - and took her for a ride on the big wheel.  She was so thrilled.

I made sure with the control desk that if anyone else stood in for me for those three days they would always remember to take Doris for her trip along the sea front.

It was always sad when a renal patient died - we went into a kind on mourning for a while.  Non of these patients survived very long because the dialysis machines are far inferior to our wonderful kidneys and they had only 12 hours a week to filter out all the impurities, whereas we have 168 hours week in week out. 


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