Dear Editor,

I was very happy to see the new EMS station in Midway has opened. It will certainly be a blessing to those of us who live in the eastern part of the county, and for those who will be working there. My thanks to all who made this possible.

I have only had need of calling EMS/911 twice in all the years I have lived here. Once was about a dozen years ago, when I was trying to pull some vines out of a tree in my backyard. It wanted to argue with me, and I argued back, and after a few minutes of arguing back and forth, it suddenly gave up, snapped, and left my lying flat on my back with a broken right ankle. The EMS guys came quickly when I called, confirmed that the ankle was broken, and got it wrapped enough my wife was able to drive me to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Savannah, without tying up their valuable time for a non-emergency drive.

The second time was on January 4, 2019, when I suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in the middle of the night. Again, they came quickly when called, determined it was a probable stroke, and got me to St. Joseph’s in short order. I was very grateful for their promptness, professionalism, and ability to get me where I needed to go, calmly and reassuringly.

The good news on both instances was that the medical professionals who treated me in Savannah gave me the excellent care that I needed. Dr. Greer Noonberg with Chatham Orthopedics reset the broken bones in my foot, and I was eventually able to walk again. Dr. Kristy Conlon (nee’ Weibke) with Savannah Vascular Associates got me on the road to recovery after my stroke, and I was eventually able to return to work full-time.

We are blessed to have access to excellent medical care in our area, and it often starts with those competent professionals with our EMS service. I am deeply grateful for your assistance when I needed it.

Raphael Semmes, Midway