It was 1970 something and I was in the back of an ambulance with my Mother. I was maybe 16 at the time and we had been called to home where a woman was about to give birth. When we arrived at the house, the woman walked to the ambulance with a suitcase in hand. "Ok, this is a 'taxi' ride" the driver said. Mom, got her on the stretcher and we loaded her into the rig. We took a few minutes to do an assessment and vitals and headed for HMC. Her contractions were close together. We stopped at the end of the block because it was apparent that delivery was imminent. As I looked over her shoulder, my Mother calmly and confidently assisted the mother in delivering a beautiful baby girl. I received for my part a coveted stork pin. But my real gift that day was sharing the miracle of birth with the same dear woman who gave birth to me.
I had many memorable moments on the squad, both great and terrifying. It was this moment that will always stand in my memory as the most dear of all, because I got to share it with my Mother.
