ISBN 978-1-60264-575-2, $9.99, Ebook, 192 pages.
Underneath the lights and sirens beats the heart of a healer! The author
rode the first wave of Mobile Intensive Care Unit Paramedics in the
U.S. in the 1970's. He became a reflection of allopathic medicine's
shift from hands-on patient "care" into a litigation-driven,
technologically-oriented "delivery system". Like many of his peers, he
morphed into a competent "Flesh Mechanic". Somewhere along the line he
lost his soul.In
an at times painfully honest memoir, the author describes moments at
the mid-point of his career that rocked him to his very core. Through
sometimes harrowing, sometimes transcendental experience, his defenses
were chipped away; forcing him to come to grips with the human being he
had become and could no longer continue to be. By facing his demons,
however, he came to better understand his place in humankind's battle
against death; now, he found himself lending a hand in the struggles of
Life. This
book is for you or anyone you love who is challenged by issues of
emotional, philosophic, moral, psychic or spiritual natures while
serving human beings in distress. Its purpose is to get medics of all
stripes talking about their personal challenges as if they mattered!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Russ
Reina stumbled into ambulance work at the birth of Emergency Medical
Services and found himself trying to legitimize a new profession. He
agitated the systems he was in to support better their EMS workers
("Russ Reina was a burr in the backside of every Emergency Medical
Services system he worked in," John Eaglesham, EMT-P, Past Chairman,
California Ambulance Association). Russ burned out on the politics not
long after crafting the first AFL-CIO Union affiliation with EMS
workers, the California Paramedic's Association.That
led him into a quest to experience more of the healing arts, and to use
EMS as a metaphor to get medics of all stripes talking about their
challenges. Russ became involved in alternative modalities, including
body and energy and Human Potential work, along with spiritual
counseling. He lived and worked with a traditional Lakota medicine
family as fire tender and lived in intentional communities. He also
delved into performing arts including, writing, acting, stand-up comedy,
movie making (Healer, which he wrote, a full-length film, opened the
1994 Santa Barbara International Film Festival) and music. Currently,
Russ does photography, writing, counseling and workshops on the island
of Maui, where he is a tour guide. (www.firetender.org) |
