Time to rescue the rescuer!
Donation protected
If you have ever worked EMS anywhere in NC you no doubt know my friend Stacey Montelongo (formerly the infamous Stacey Tanner, before my buddy Frank Montelongo'd her). If you don't know her then you are not yet a cultured EMS provider but I'll let that slide out of pity for you. Now is your chance to get to know her. Study hard, there will be a test.
How can I describe Stacey? She is one of the most determined and hard-headed people I think I have ever met. If something pops into her mind there is seldom a filter there to stop it from coming out. It has proven to scare me at times but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have known her since the early 90s as our paramedic and personal paths crossed quite often. When I became EMS Director in Iredell County in 2002 she came on board as my Training Officer and number 2. For several years there we fed off each other well and accomplished so many things which I will cherish until my last day in this life. We were each other's greatest fans and harshest critics. At times I wanted to choke the life out of her but held back because 1) she was often right and 2) I was too afraid of her to tell her she was wrong. It isn't just anyone who will censure their director (aka boss) and make him write a multi-page research paper for missing a mandatory continuing education class. Yes she did. Yes, I wrote it too. That sums her up well to me. When it comes to taking care of patients she accepts nothing but the best. Striving for mediocrity in medicine is distasteful to her and she has single handedly raised the bar from one end of this state to the other. I chose a picture of her with her mouth open for a reason... that is the position it usually stayed in when we worked together!
I respect and value her as a colleague but more importantly I value her and dearly love her and her husband Frank as friends. She is a very cool lady who emanates hippie vibes and makes the world a cooler place. She has been a paramedic for a long time, touching lives every day, but retirement is coming in just a few short years. I can't imagine an EMS world without her. I'm sure she will still single handedly work to change the world from some other direction when that day comes.
Now, the less than flattering part. Last year Stacey was diagnosed with cancer. Like everything else she met it head on. She named her cancer "Claude". In this world where a stubbed toe will cause someone to call in sick Stacey continued to work as a paramedic all the while recovering from surgery and taking chemo. She took on Claude like everything else and beat him down until there were no traces of cancer left. Well, Claude is a bit hard headed just like Stacey and he has risen again prompting more surgery, and probably more chemo. Her next procedure comes up in just a few days and despite insurance it will be very costly. I don't want my friend to worry about the cost of treatment or anything else. The way I see it she has earned that and those of us who owe her big-time can step up and be her Claude whooping partners. I will be donating of course, and would gladly pay every bill she has if it were possible. I ask that if she has helped you, taught you, saved your butt (like mine), otherwise had a positive impact on your life, or is someone you don't know but you value her contributions please consider doing what you can. I set a goal that will help get her started. NOTE: That is a starting point only so feel free to drive the total way beyond that amount!
I love my friend and I hope you will help me help her. I refuse to let Claude run amok! Thanks to all of you!
How can I describe Stacey? She is one of the most determined and hard-headed people I think I have ever met. If something pops into her mind there is seldom a filter there to stop it from coming out. It has proven to scare me at times but I wouldn't have it any other way. I have known her since the early 90s as our paramedic and personal paths crossed quite often. When I became EMS Director in Iredell County in 2002 she came on board as my Training Officer and number 2. For several years there we fed off each other well and accomplished so many things which I will cherish until my last day in this life. We were each other's greatest fans and harshest critics. At times I wanted to choke the life out of her but held back because 1) she was often right and 2) I was too afraid of her to tell her she was wrong. It isn't just anyone who will censure their director (aka boss) and make him write a multi-page research paper for missing a mandatory continuing education class. Yes she did. Yes, I wrote it too. That sums her up well to me. When it comes to taking care of patients she accepts nothing but the best. Striving for mediocrity in medicine is distasteful to her and she has single handedly raised the bar from one end of this state to the other. I chose a picture of her with her mouth open for a reason... that is the position it usually stayed in when we worked together!
I respect and value her as a colleague but more importantly I value her and dearly love her and her husband Frank as friends. She is a very cool lady who emanates hippie vibes and makes the world a cooler place. She has been a paramedic for a long time, touching lives every day, but retirement is coming in just a few short years. I can't imagine an EMS world without her. I'm sure she will still single handedly work to change the world from some other direction when that day comes.
Now, the less than flattering part. Last year Stacey was diagnosed with cancer. Like everything else she met it head on. She named her cancer "Claude". In this world where a stubbed toe will cause someone to call in sick Stacey continued to work as a paramedic all the while recovering from surgery and taking chemo. She took on Claude like everything else and beat him down until there were no traces of cancer left. Well, Claude is a bit hard headed just like Stacey and he has risen again prompting more surgery, and probably more chemo. Her next procedure comes up in just a few days and despite insurance it will be very costly. I don't want my friend to worry about the cost of treatment or anything else. The way I see it she has earned that and those of us who owe her big-time can step up and be her Claude whooping partners. I will be donating of course, and would gladly pay every bill she has if it were possible. I ask that if she has helped you, taught you, saved your butt (like mine), otherwise had a positive impact on your life, or is someone you don't know but you value her contributions please consider doing what you can. I set a goal that will help get her started. NOTE: That is a starting point only so feel free to drive the total way beyond that amount!
I love my friend and I hope you will help me help her. I refuse to let Claude run amok! Thanks to all of you!
Organizer
Lee Darnell
Organizer
Grimesland, NC
