Saranac lake volunteer rescue squad
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John A. Vallini We regret to announce the passing of our member and board member, John Vallini. After moving to the Adirondacks in 1990, John worked as an emergency room technician at the Adirondack Medical Center, where he later found an interest in volunteering. As a member of the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department, he obtained his paramedic certification. For 10 years, John was the medical director at ORDA in Lake Placid. He was also a critical care RN/paramedic for North Country Life Flight for 9 years. Continuing his education, John received his AAS degree in nursing from North Country Community College, and worked at Adirondack Medical Center, CVPH, and Fletcher Allen. John later returned to North Country Community College as a nursing instructor. John was part of the response to the 9/11 attacks with the Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department in 2001. John also had a degree in chemistry, and later started his career as a photographer, operating Vallini Productions. John loved riding his motorcycle around the area, and to Maine every fall. John cherished his many friends and students, near and far, who will all remember the good times they had with him. See the recent article from Adirondack Daily Enterprise: www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/opinion/columns/you-know-what-local-history-by-howard-riley/2021/09/saranac-lake-sept-11-2001/ |
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The Heart Banner Project
We would like to thank Gail Brill for her recent and continuous donations to the Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad from The Heart Banner Project.
"We believe we need more love and kindness in the world." In May 2021, Gail and her husband Jason traveled to Maine and saw handmade banners everywhere, including shop windows, mailboxes, and outside of houses. When asked, Gail was told that the banners were to represent love for all people. They were originally used as a sign of support during the Pandemic. Gail decided to bring the idea back to Saranac Lake. The banners are made from upcycled black-out curtains that are able to take outdoor weather and wear and tear. The banners are offered for free, but they have already collected almost $4,000 in donations for local groups that help the community, including the Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad. If you would like a banner, please contact Gail Brill at gailbrilldesign@gmail.com or on their Facebook page. 
Paramedic Students
Julie Harjung, left, and Shawn Clark, below, with their paramedic textbooks. We have five members that are in the AEMT-CC to Paramedic bridge class. Not pictured: Tisha Siddell, Winnie Simpson, Vern James 
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Ehlers-danlos syndrome
Andie had a rare genetic disease, vascular Ehlers Danlos. Genetic means that in every cell in her body, she had a mutation, a defect, in her DNA. The gene that codes for a type of collagen, the COL3A1 gene, had a defect. How did we know? She had a genetic test done when she was about 15 years old that gave us those details. What is collagen? It’s an extremely important protein that makes up most body structures. You can think of it as a building block that gives every body structure its shape; from skin to organs to blood vessels. The COL3A1 gene that was defective in Andie made a particular type of collagen (Type III) structurally unsound. This made Andie’s blood vessels, uterus, digestive tract, skin, and really any hollow organ extremely fragile.
Andie was fortunate that, like many other vEDS patients, she had a high pain tolerance. That means when you would see her with giant bruises from broken blood vessels often times she did not feel the pain like a normal person would. This also meant if she did feel pain she had a major problem. One day in school, she tore the skin on her arm on the door jam just by brushing up against it. She was shocked when she saw how bad of an injury it was as she did not have much pain from it. She ended up needing a bunch of stitches to repair the wound. This is why it is extremely important for doctors to take extra precautions with vEDS patients. They have less pain detection than that of an average person.
Hoping to help spread awareness and help at least one vEDS patient! More information below
Andie was fortunate that, like many other vEDS patients, she had a high pain tolerance. That means when you would see her with giant bruises from broken blood vessels often times she did not feel the pain like a normal person would. This also meant if she did feel pain she had a major problem. One day in school, she tore the skin on her arm on the door jam just by brushing up against it. She was shocked when she saw how bad of an injury it was as she did not have much pain from it. She ended up needing a bunch of stitches to repair the wound. This is why it is extremely important for doctors to take extra precautions with vEDS patients. They have less pain detection than that of an average person.
Hoping to help spread awareness and help at least one vEDS patient! More information below
Go like Adventuresinlove4Andie on Facebook.