4-8-2000

Every service industry has it's regulars...

The drycleaners know Mr. jones and his white collar shirt,
The waitress at your local restaurant has her customers that don't even have to speak to get what they want.
Even Collection agencies start to know people and their voices telling them that they "just missed 'em...no I am the baby sitter"

So why should it be any different for us?

Here in Elyria we have a few "Regulars"
(although they are anything but regular and I have my favotites)

Today I would like to tell you about one of them...

His name is James
We have had him as a regular customer for almost three years.
he has been transported to the hospital somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 times.
he's 48 years old, a diabetic, an alcoholic and looks like a six foot seven inch tall Pillsbury dough boy.
He has a long list of problems
but somehow didn't go over the edge until he turned 45.
He lives with his mother and has told me on several occasions that he hates her and she is the reason he drinks.
(I have met her and I agree that she is the source of his trouble)
The reason that I bring James into the pages
of the journal today is this:

We were calld by the police to the intersection of west ridge and fowl road for a "male in his 40's fell in a ditch"
james lives two hundred feet from this intersection and we all knew it was him as soon as the call came in.

When the monkey bus arrived on scene we were greeted by EPD and informed that he was not hurt but was asking for an ambulance to help him up.

I walked over to him and said hello he grinned and said that he was glad to see us.

After confirming that he was in fact un-injured
we assisted him to his feet.
(well actually we encouraged him to become veryically motivated which I must add is a sight to see! )

James was fine and not drunk yet !
(he was walking back from the store with a couple of bottles of boones farm)
(one of which had broken inn the fall)
I contacted the hospital
and requested permission to allow him to go home.

The ER was happy to help,
as long as they didn't have to see him tonight.
The police offered to give him a ride but he thought it was a trick.
So he demanded that we escort them
and make sure they didn't steal his boones.

Using the bottle of boones
like a carrot in a stick I lured james into the police car.

IT WAS NOT A TRICK!

They dropped him off at his front door
Ken and I escorted him in to his house.

Once inside James was ok ,
he was trying to be casual and start a conversation.
( It was awkward! )

He did recognize that Ken and I
as well as the rest of the EMS community
have been very good to him over the past few years.

In appreciation he gave us a piece of artwork
that he had made.
(another sight to see! I must say)

The word "FART" stenciled in black on a canvas three times one above the other.
(I will post a pictue of it on the website as soon as it is back from being framed.)

The Reason for this piece of art being made:
as explained by James is...

"Well I saw on the television
that a man was paid ten thousand dollars
for rat rat rat,
I thought fart fart fart
would be worth at laest five"

I don't know if it is worth anything to anyone.
but it will be hanging in our station for the world to see.
(probably near the bathroom)