I copied this post from 2022 to the top for the obvious reason.
**SAY HER NAME**
Cassidy J. Wofford
July 5, 1988 to May 28, 2011
I
met this young lady on an EMS call a couple of years before her tragic
death by suicide. That call was a suicide attempt where she had laid down in
the middle of a back country road hoping someone would just run her
over. An alert motorist saw her and called 911. I will not go into any
of the details other than this; when we arrived at the hospital and I
opened the doors to get the stretcher out, she was sitting on the
stretcher facing me rocking back and forth, sucking her thumb, and
weeping. As a Dad of a daughter myself, it absolutely broke my heart to
see such a pathetic creature. To this day, my "bug-a-boo" ambulance call
is what I call "the sad little girl." 12-23 years old, crying her eyes
out, covered in cutter scars, sometimes telling tales of abuse; mental,
physical, sexual, and probably being transported against her will by law
enforcement for wanting to harm herself. My career and volunteer
partners know this, and depending on the severity of the call will offer
to tech it. I am getting better at handling these calls myself, but I
think of Cassidy on every one.
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| From her clothing, she may have been a 1st Responder |
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| One heckuva fish! |
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| Proof she did have happy times in her short life |
I
had heard things about her life that if true, she had it rough, and
those circumstances would drive anyone to the brink. I wish I could
somehow turn back time and maybe do something more to prevent the final
outcome. If you or someone you know is in crisis, PLEASE reach out for
help to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Each year I do a benefit motorcycle ride called "Ride For Gage" that benefits the Jordan Porco Foundation
for suicide prevention in September. I also see more than my share of
successful suicides, and doing the death presumptions while the family
is nearby SUCKS!
As a side note, the call involving Cassidy actually disturbed the other technicians, too. I was just the driver, but the other two were in the back doing patient care. In a casual conversation a few months later the subject of this call came up. Both guys said how it bothered them too, and how we probably should have talked earlier and gotten Critical Incident counseling as a group. Both of them are no longer in EMS, so they probably don't think about it any more.
Rest In Peace, Cassidy. Because I will never forget you.
People critical of people like her piss me off as well. May her soul rest in peace.
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