AIDS/LifeCycle 9 - an amazing experience
Wow! Last week I was on the medical team for the AIDS/LifeCycle. What an amazing experience! I was a rider on ALC6 in 2007 (recap here), but being a roadie was a completely different challenge.
The medical team was made up of doctors, PAs, RNs, and EMTs who had volunteered a week of their time to support the 1900 cyclists and nearly 550 roadies who made the 545 mile journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Over $10 million was raised to provide services to those living with HIV/AIDS and to prevent new infections.
Like most of the roadie teams, the medical team worked its collective butt off. The base camp medical tent opened at 6am every morning and shut down at 9pm, closing midday only to relocate to the next town on the route. We also staffed lunch and four rest stops along the way and were open overnight for emergencies. On my night shift I didn't get to bed until after 3am and then rose at 5:30am when the team started to show up for the morning rush.
We handled all of the normal things you'd expect on a ride of this kind--dehydration, road rash, saddle sores--along with all of the medical issues that the 2500 participants showed up with on day one. We also had a nasty stomach virus that made the rounds; a large number of folks needing IV fluids during the course of the week as a consequence.
I'm a new EMT, and I learned so much on the LifeCycle. I can't say enough about the providers, nurses, and other EMTs who never hesitated to help me out. Many of them commented during the week: it's amazing what a group of people can accomplish when they're all working together. For me, the most remarkable thing about us was how quickly we coalesced into an effective team. For that I have to credit our medical director, the medical captains, and the charge nurses and pharmacist who led us.
In addition to all the new friends I made, the best part of the week for me was getting to help so many different people. Given the sometimes difficult conditions we were working under, people were so grateful to have us on the ride. It was nice to feel so needed.
Finally, I have to say a big "thank you" to my bff Tommy. It was his idea for us to join the medical team, and working with him for the first time was awesome, even with our little kitty fight on day 6. :-)
The medical team was made up of doctors, PAs, RNs, and EMTs who had volunteered a week of their time to support the 1900 cyclists and nearly 550 roadies who made the 545 mile journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Over $10 million was raised to provide services to those living with HIV/AIDS and to prevent new infections.
Like most of the roadie teams, the medical team worked its collective butt off. The base camp medical tent opened at 6am every morning and shut down at 9pm, closing midday only to relocate to the next town on the route. We also staffed lunch and four rest stops along the way and were open overnight for emergencies. On my night shift I didn't get to bed until after 3am and then rose at 5:30am when the team started to show up for the morning rush.
We handled all of the normal things you'd expect on a ride of this kind--dehydration, road rash, saddle sores--along with all of the medical issues that the 2500 participants showed up with on day one. We also had a nasty stomach virus that made the rounds; a large number of folks needing IV fluids during the course of the week as a consequence.
I'm a new EMT, and I learned so much on the LifeCycle. I can't say enough about the providers, nurses, and other EMTs who never hesitated to help me out. Many of them commented during the week: it's amazing what a group of people can accomplish when they're all working together. For me, the most remarkable thing about us was how quickly we coalesced into an effective team. For that I have to credit our medical director, the medical captains, and the charge nurses and pharmacist who led us.
In addition to all the new friends I made, the best part of the week for me was getting to help so many different people. Given the sometimes difficult conditions we were working under, people were so grateful to have us on the ride. It was nice to feel so needed.
Finally, I have to say a big "thank you" to my bff Tommy. It was his idea for us to join the medical team, and working with him for the first time was awesome, even with our little kitty fight on day 6. :-)
Labels: cycling, EMT, healthcare, HIV/AIDS, LifeCycle
posted by michael at 7:44 PM
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