TO ALL PARAMEDICS, NURSES AND PEOPLE IN THE MEDICAL WORLD.

I'm not a graduate of any medical course, not even close.

I wish there were enough amazing events in my life to write something about. Unfortunately, my life has been very average. I was never whisked away by terrorists, never have I traveled outside the Philippines, and I don't even own a car! But appreciation and admiration, like this, I can write.

A friend of mine was once walking with me down a street in Makati. As we walked, an ambulance passed by with sirens flaring. My friend commented, "Those are just flashing lights and sound.".

After a lot of thought and silence, I said, "But that's the beauty of it. Paramedics are the simplest profession, even the most noble. There is no hidden agenda for the Paramedic; someone is hurt and they arrive. Pick this person off the ground, in the process, saving them from the greedy jaws of death and chance, and delivering them to the Hospital where they can be cared for, their families can visit to see their loved one still in one piece, if not worse for wear."

Paramedicine has already interested me, perhaps it is because in this world, we are so surrounded by convolution and red tape. But the paramedics float above this. His job is simple, it is precise, it is life saving. He rides his ambulance without care for promotion, without worrying if his customer satisfaction level is below a certain percentile as defined by the quality surveys administered by a third-party impartial. None of these matter to a man whose only concern is the bettering of his community, of his province...of his nation.

The paramedic leaves people in awe. When you see the serpent twined around the staff, a worldwide symbol of medicine and care, you do not think, "That person is a waste of space." or "What a drain on my taxes." No, you think, "There is someone I wish I could be like, that calm professional, who in a moments notice, could whisk me away and save my life."

They say it takes a special person to be a Paramedic, I say it only takes the one thing that every human being is born with: compassion for his fellow man.

My name is Chris, I am 23 years old, and I salute every people working in the medical world, the ever caring nurses, and every paramedics who save lives, and continue to do so.