My Life

Here's my life at present in a nutshell. Just in case you don't know who I am or want to know more about me:

I am a born again Christian. I don't mean one of those Sunday morning Wednesday night people. I mean a sold out, on fire, and seeking to discover God's will for my life Christians. I LOVE GOD!! What is amazing is that even when I chose to not love Him (because love is a choice made daily), HE LOVES ME ANYWAY! He chooses to love me, a WORTHLESS, TRASHY, ROTTEN SINNER, every single day!! He is my life.

I am going to school to become an Athletic Trainer. I know what you're saying. 'What's an Athletic Trainer?' According to bls.gov an Athletic Trainer is:

Athletic trainers help prevent and treat injuries for people of all ages. Their patients and clients include everyone from professional athletes to industrial workers. Recognized by the American Medical Association as allied health professionals, athletic trainers specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, assessment, treatment, and rehabilitation of muscle and bone injuries and illnesses. Athletic trainers, as one of the first healthcare providers on the scene when injuries occur, must be able to recognize, evaluate, and assess injuries and provide immediate care when needed. Athletic trainers should not be confused with fitness trainers or personal trainers, who are not healthcare workers, but rather train people to become physically fit.

Basically in a nutshell I'm a first aid nerd. My other dream job is to be a Paramedic. Some folks are cut out for emergency situations and the fast paced setting of trying to stick an I.V. in someone’s arm while going 50mph in a moving vehicle while swerving in and out of traffic, but some are not. That long description is who I am. That’s what I want to do with my life. God has lead me to taking EMT classes this summer at Southwest. The classes are Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm. Looking at those hours, you would think I was crazy. Well I am crazy. I’m crazy because I believe in a Man who loves me enough to die for me. Not just any Man, but the Man who spoke and that very instant, stars were formed and lit up the universe!! The same Man that gives us trees and grass that convert CO2 into O2 so we can continue to exist! I’m crazy because I’ve never seen this Person face to face, but I choose to follow his Word. I’ve heard His will for my life and have chosen to follow it. The Bible says:

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.--Psalm 37:4

I am living proof that God will give you the desires of your heart!!

So yes I am crazy!!

If you take the average salary of an Athletic Trainer = $39,640 (in May 2008)*

And add it with the average salary of a Paramedic = $29,328 (in May 2008)**

I would only come out with a whopping grand total of = $68,968***

*Athletic Trainers work an average of 45-60 hrs a week but can easily exceed that. If you use 50 hrs a week then that figure comes out to = $15.25/hr.

**Paramedics get paid by the hour. Average hourly wage is = $14.10. Amount is calculated upon 52 weeks a year and 40 hrs a week.

***This total is the adding of TWO full time jobs, which is impossible. How can some one in charge of saving lives in both careers make so little? Don't know. Don't care. It's just my passion, and somebody has to do it. And wouldn’t you want a paramedic that is excited about coming to work everyday and excited about helping people working on you instead of an unhappy uncaring person?

Bottom line is that I will have a family. I will not be able to love them and provide for them time wise if I have two full time jobs. I know that God will provide for me when the time comes. Therefore, I am not worried or anxious. I am just excited.

After all my school I will be known as: Kerry DeShazo, ATC, EMT-P