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The One Call I Didn’t Want to Hear
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Dispatched & Dysfunctional – Because sometimes the worst calls make the best stories.
Welcome to Dispatched & Dysfunctional — where the darkest moments become stories of resilience. These aren’t polished hero tales. They’re the raw, unfiltered truths of EMS: the calls that scar, the ones that save, and the ones we carry forever.
🚑 Some tones blur together. But this one cut like a knife. Dispatch read the address, and my heart stopped — it wasn’t a stranger’s. It was my dad’s.
We train for cardiac arrests. We drill the rhythm, the compressions, the meds. We tell ourselves muscle memory will carry us through. But nothing prepares you for kneeling on your own floor, staring at your father’s face, and realizing that the job you’ve dedicated your life to just crashed into your family.
That night, EMS collided with bloodlines. And I wasn’t the medic anymore. I was the son.
What held me together wasn’t a protocol or a checklist — it was my partner. Quiet, steady, becoming the anchor I needed when my own uniform felt heavier than I could carry.
⚠️ CONTENT WARNING: Graphic EMS content, cardiac arrest, mental health, and dark humor. Listener discretion advised.
Why It Matters:
Because sometimes the uniform comes off whether we’re ready or not. This call reminded me that under the patches and the titles, we’re family first. Survival in this job isn’t about being unbreakable — it’s about having someone to catch you when you shatter. And sometimes, the hardest patient to treat is your own.
🧠 Need support?
Text or call 988 or visit 988lifeline.org
💬 “I’d rather hear your story than read your eulogy.”
📬 Want to share your story?
Visit critical-run.com or message us on Facebook: Dispatched and Dysfunctional
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🌐 Visit: www.critical-run.com to connect, share your story, or just vent
🎤 Got a call that changed you? Submit your story — we’ll carry it with care (and maybe a little dark humor).
⚠️ Disclaimer: This podcast contains graphic content, emotional storytelling, and dark humor based on real-life EMS and first responder experiences. Listener discretion is advised.
Any medical discussion is personal opinion, not medical advice. Always follow your local protocols, medical direction, and training guidelines.
This podcast isn’t about fairy tales. It’s about real calls, real chaos, and the medics who survive both.
Dispatched & Dysfunctional — because sometimes the worst calls… make the best stories.
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