The Scottish Mail on Sunday - You
MAISIE’S STORY
Maisie Broszek, 21, is an emergency ambulance crew member for the London Ambulance Service
A lot of people have said, ‘How do you work with your mum? My mum and I couldn’t spend that much time together!’ but we love it. It’s fun and we get on so well.
My first memories are of her running her beauty business from home and being a community responder. She’s incredibly caring and will give everything she’s got.
Then, about ten years ago, Mum joined the London Ambulance Service. She would come home with stories of arriving at a scene where someone was in cardiac arrest and how she would help them. You could see she was so proud and would never forget it. I was in absolute awe of what she did. I’d always known I wanted to do something in medicine so, at 18, I applied to join the London Ambulance Service and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.
You see some pretty bad stuff but also do things that are ten times better than any other job, such as delivering babies in weird and wonderful places, helping the elderly back into bed in the middle of the night, making someone a cup of tea when they are feeling unwell and helping patients in pain and discomfort.
I remember walking into mum’s workplace which was now my own for the first time and it was surreal. I was overwhelmed with how welcoming all her friends and colleagues were. We get on with each other’s work friends and often all meet up.
I was lucky enough to do a lot of training with Mum – everyone had told me what a good medic she is and that when they work with her it’s always exciting because they go to big jobs with her.
It’s with complex medical jobs that Mum really shines. She’s incredibly knowledgeable and I feel very proud watching her treat patients as she’s switched-on and figures out what’s wrong quickly. I remember once we saw an elderly patient with a slow heart rate and Mum had treated him by the time I had come back from the ambulance with the trolley bed.
My first cardiac arrest was with her. I started resuscitation and was quite nervous but Mum told me to crack on – and it worked. It was the best thing and it was amazing to see how much she trusted my clinical judgment.
We were together again on the day of the Orpington bus crash. It would have been tense anyway but that day we had a camera crew with us. I was apprehensive about what I’d be seeing, but my main concern was going through my training in my head.
We were split up as soon as we got there but it didn’t worry me. I had a small part to play as I treated a patient with minor injuries but it was more about providing emotional support. It wasn’t hard – Mum has always encouraged me to think about others’ feelings and be there for them.
We’ve seen a lot of Covid and it was a worry for me that Mum would become unwell. I’ve never seen anyone as ill as people with the virus and I didn’t want to see anyone I cared about have it.
It’s been difficult for everyone in the NHS and it still is. I’m definitely still scared for Mum but over time we’re getting more used to it.
Working with Mum means I can relate to her a lot more. We’re often spotted as being mum and daughter when we’re on jobs – patients are always delighted and find it comforting.