‘Unsung heroes’ honored with special coin

Last year, local emergency service workers transported some special patients who helped save the lives of many other people. Those patients were organ donors who donated 23 organs, such as hearts, kidneys and livers. “Those are a lot of lives that have been saved and enhanced. … You are the unsung heroes that stand at […]

Last year, local emergency service workers transported some special patients who helped save the lives of many other people. Those patients were organ donors who donated 23 organs, such as hearts, kidneys and livers. “Those are a lot of lives that have been saved and enhanced. … You are the unsung heroes that stand at the intersection of hope and healing,” Steve Frantz, partner relations coordinator with the Iowa Donor Network (IDN), said during an awards ceremony to honor the emergency services workers from Medic EMS of Scott County, Bettendorf Fire Department, and Davenport Fire Department. (The IDN  is a non-profit organization that coordinates organ and tissue donation within the State of Iowa.)

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That brief ceremony, held Friday, Feb. 7, centered on honoring the workers with the newly created Iowa Donor Network EMS Challenge Coin.  Mr. Frantz called the coins a great “token of respect” for the EMS workers who take an important role in transporting patients and saving lives. “In most cases, those organ donations would not have been possible without your actions,” he said to nearly a dozen EMS workers attending the ceremony at the Scott County Administration Building in downtown Davenport. The new EMS Challenge Coins were inspired by the military challenge coin tradition, serving as a way to honor the recipients, said Mr. Frantz.  The front of the new coin is inscribed with the phrase "Saving Lives Beyond the Call.” The back side has the IDN logo and the phrase: “This coin acknowledges the extraordinary contributions of Iowa Donor Network’s EMS partners who save lives beyond the call through organ and tissue donations.” One of the EMS workers to receive the coin was Haylie Stec, a paramedic with Medic EMS of Scott County. She called it a great and meaningful honor that helps remind her of the organ donor patients she has helped transport. “It’s really cool. … This is great because we really don’t get to see what happens (to the patients) after we drop them off,” she said. Ms. Stec added that she happens to collect challenge coins. This new coin will likely be displayed with her collection in her Davenport apartment. The dozen or so workers at the ceremony only represented a fraction of the local workers being honored with the new EMS Challenge Coin. But Mr. Frantz said he was still impressed by the number of EMS workers who could attend the ceremony. “It’s hard to get this many emergency responders together. They’re always out saving lives,” he added. The event also featured EMS officials praising the work of their co-workers. “You guys are the true heroes,” said Kyle Beale, Medic EMS’ training and development manager.