About
Me
I'm Jason, The Running Paramedic.
I am an average person who has had the absolute privilege of helping people in need since 2010.
The greater privilege is being a husband and dad to 2 incredibly cheeky kids.
My back injury and recovery has put me on a path of self discovery that I did not expect.
Follow my journey as I learn to run again and explore the factors affecting my mental health.
How it all began
Paramedic Journey
I was only 21 years old when I joined NSW Ambulance as a trainee paramedic. 3 years later and my training was complete. I thoroughly enjoyed the job from day 1. Having the privilege to be welcomed into people’s homes and lives in their most desperate times was incredibly humbling. I realised very quickly
I spent the first 18 months training in Southwest Sydney. I then chose to move to Central West NSW to a town called Lake Cargelligo.
Lake Cargelligo is an incredibly beautiful town with great community spirit. Working as a local paramedic is both rewarding and difficult. When you get to know everyone in town the deaths and serious illnesses hit harder. You personalise the destruction death and disease cause to the families and friends. It taught me how important compassion and empathy was as a health care worker.
After 2.5 years in Lake Cargelligo, I moved back to Southwest Sydney. So far during my career I have acted as a station officer to cover periods of leave, been an active union delegate, worked for our union for almost 2 years part time while still on road and just finished a short time in the control centre but left just prior to being fully qualified in there. I missed being an operational paramedic
Now, 12 years later, I still enjoy being a paramedic and helping people in need and wouldn’t want any other career.
The Injury
In March 2021 I was on nightshift when we received a call to a patient suffering from mental health issues in a public place. The police were already on scene. We unfortunately had to restrain the patient for their own safety with the assistance of police. During this encounter I ended up in an awkward position while the patient was trying to get free. It was an intense experience and we had to push our duress alarm at one point.
When the adrenaline wore off (about 45mins) my left foot was numb and the pain in my back and left leg was intensifying. I finished my shift and went home thinking I could stretch it out. I was clearly dreaming.
The MRI showed I had herniated my L5/S1 disc with left nerve compression. The neurosurgeon recommended surgery, a microdiscectomy, as soon as possible. While awaiting approval by the workers compensation insurer my mental health started to suffer. Intrusive thoughts entered my head, and my mental health was failing. I felt worthless as a dad, a paramedic and as a person. I felt like a failure.
3 months after the injury I was under the knife having a microdiscectomy. I woke up an hour and a half later with no pain down my leg. It was an incredible feeling. It gave me hope I would get back to the life I had.
Recovery has gone well so far. This experience has, however, started a journey of self-discovery I can’t escape. I am growing as a person and learning who I am.
Follow my journey and together we can break the stigma around mental health and talk about some running content as well.
