Trauma Code #2

This is the very first image I ever created. It's based on a call I attended where a young man in his early twenties died while we were trying to save him. I remember him calling for his mother. Although he was a man in his twenties he called for his “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!” as he died. He was killed by a drunk driver.

When I finished this piece I kept it to myself for a long time and wasn't going to share it. I was scared what my fellow first responders would think if I showed a vulnerable side to our profession. Things are a little better now but the negative stigma toward PTSD and occupational stress injuries is still very real.

TheTraumaCodeAll photos by Daniel Sundahl

From Emergency Response Portraits