Edna Mitchell, who is already 87 years old, is still active as a volunteer with the Liberty Ambulance. Among the emergency medical technicians in Maine, she is the oldest.
She was then a high school freshman during WWII and helping during a first-aid class perked her interest in medical care. However, she became a teacher and practiced her profession for a long time. Thirty-seven years ago, she took her EMT certification and has been working as such ever since, considering her volunteer work as her social life.
A very healthy octogenarian
Mitchell recalled that a few years back, her co-workers gave her a walking stick during an awards ceremony and she jokingly used it while descending the stage. But Mitchell is one healthy lady. She starts her day with exercises including men’s and women’s pushups. She is keen to look after her health, taking vitamins and swimming daily. She said she does not smoke or drink and does not even swear.
Her dedication to the Liberty Fire Department EMT service is quite remarkable, and the town’s fire chief, Bill Gillespie describes how the townspeople have this sense of relief knowing the Edna Mitchell will be there to provide medical help. He said that if not for Mitchell, there would have been many instances when the EMT truck would not have made it out the door, describing Mitchell as a very tough lady.
In a town such as Liberty, the backbones of the emergency medical service are the volunteers. Mitchell had been a driving force in the Liberty Ambulance, something she continues to do to this day.
Tough life
A medical emergency volunteer’s work is tough. You have to be available 24/7, which is quite demanding. Edna Mitchell said that she regularly wears the blue T-shirt issued by the ambulance service for practical reasons. When she gets a call in the evening, she’d wear a jumpsuit over her pajamas. She said that being a volunteer means you are willing to show up when needed and not only when you want to. Through her years of service she had been through all sorts of emergency situations and weather conditions.
She is thinking of retiring when her license runs out in 2016, but she has no regrets, knowing that her two granddaughters are also EMTs and one of her great-granddaughters is studying to be an EMT as well.
Copyright: miq1969 / 123RF Stock Photo
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