My name is Frank*, and I have been an employee of certain medical alert companies for many years. Most of the time I was a delivery driver that shuttled the products between medical alert manufacturers and medical alert suppliers. I never really had the opportunity to get involved with my work, but felt comforted knowing that it was a job where I felt like I had really contributed at the end of the day. I was part of a really great system that provided people with an essential service that could save their lives, and that was also really affordable.
Interacting with clients wasn’t part of my job, so I never just how great it could be, until one day that I like to think of as an “Aha” day. I was going about my runs in the usual way, and had stopped to grab a coffee at a local shop. On my way out, I noticed a piece of medical alert jewelry that had just from a gentleman walking away down the street. I picked it up, and ran after to him to give it back.
He told me his name was Jack*, and thanked me profusely. His sense of humor was evident, as he told me that he would have gotten in a lot of grief if his children found out he lost it! Jack said he sometimes took his medical alert bracelets off his wrist when he went for a walk, and did not notice it fall – but he’d now learned his lesson! We chatted a bit, and when I told him I actually worked for medical alert companies, we laughed about the irony. I hopped back in my truck, and continued my run, not thinking any more of it.
Several weeks later, I was reading the staff newsletter that the medical alert company provided for us monthly. There was a section in it that included letters from customers, and while reading it, I noticed one had been signed by the children of Jack*. They had written to express their thanks to the company, but especially to an unknown driver that had been making a delivery, noticed Jack* had dropped his bracelet, and chased him to give him his device back. Later that day, Jack* had been at home alone and had a heart attack. If he hadn’t had been wearing the medical alert jewelry that I had returned to him, it may have been a fatal situation. Fortunately, he had it on him, and the ambulance had arrived right away, in time to prevent any serious repercussions.
I humbly realized, based on the city and the name that it was me. I was honored to have been part of the system in a deeper way than just delivering the products for the medical alert service providers. I now go back to work with a renewed sense of contribution, knowing that medical alert companies really do provide an incredible service to the elderly, and am proud to be part of such a great team!
*names have been changed to protect identity of clients
