The Heart Matters:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world recognized the bravery and selflessness of our health care heroes by banging pots and pans. But while this time in history put their acts of bravery at the forefront, our health care heroes have always been keeping our society safe, healthy, and alive. One of those heroes is Carole Chiang, a frontline paramedic during COVID-19.

Both COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic have taken a huge toll on our healthcare workers, especially paramedics. The Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. says a “profound mental health crisis is plaguing paramedics and dispatchers.” The mental and physical toll is significant and the president of the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. says that there are “unprecedented levels of mental health and wellness claims among members.” 

Injured

Carole was not spared. Like many other paramedics, she was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Injury (PTSI), which impacted her personal life. Reflecting on her challenges, she says “I isolated myself. I only went to work and came back home. When I think of those years, it’s like they are painted in grey.”Carole sought the assistance of mental health professionals to support her healing journey. Healing is seldom linear. Sometimes you need a little push from someone who loves you. For Carole, that someone was her mom. “My mom suggested a change in career and recommended I go back to school.”

Carole remembered her dream to become a Cardiology Technologist. A decade earlier, she had explored the Stenberg College Cardiology Technologist program and decided that now was the time, and enrolled.

Healing

In the program, Carole was a respected resource for her classmates. “It is important to me that I help others,” she explained. She found the community she had lost during COVID-19 amongst her classmates. Her classmate, Sukhpreet, writes, “Carole was always ready to help. She would often use examples from her real-world experience as a paramedic when explaining a concept. Her kind and approachable nature created a supportive and encouraging learning environment.”

The in-person labs in the program were a big step for Carole, who had been keeping herself socially isolated. “I almost didn’t go to my labs because I was so nervous.” It was her instructor, Jonathan Aquino, who settled her nerves. “Jonathan saw me outside the class as I was debating whether to go into the lab or not. He smiled at me and said ‘Hi, you’re Carole, right?’ That simple act of kindness had a lasting effect on me. I ended up staying because of that.” Jonathan, and another instructor, Rhianna, became Carole’s anchors in the program. “I must have sent over 1,000 emails with questions.” They always answered and that meant a great deal to her.

Her instructors also recognized the brilliance and talent Carole possessed for helping people. Jonathan Aquino writes, “Carole genuinely cared about the success of her classmates. She often thanked me for taking extra time outside of class answering her emails. But the truth is, it was her perseverance that motivated me to do more. She reminded me that education is more than just lessons and exams. At its best, it becomes a space for growing, healing, and connecting.”

Helping

After graduating from her program with an incredible 92% grade point average and being chosen as the Student of the Year finalist for the Cardiology Technologist program, Carole is now working full-time as a Registered Cardiology Technologist at Burnaby General Hospital. Working at the hospital is a full-circle moment for her, having herself been treated there as a patient with PTSI. “It felt poetic that I would end up at Burnaby General where I was once helped. Now I am helping others.”

Her passion and caring nature have been noticed by her supervisor, Natalie Smith. Natalie writes, “Carole has become one of the Burnaby Hospital Cardiology team’s most reliable and dedicated employees. She positively impacts her colleagues and the overall environment of the department.”

Our hospitals, indeed our world, are filled with quiet heroes like Carole. They perform courageous and important acts without seeking recognition, often making personal sacrifices for the greater good. She has heart. And to her, heart means “where your soul and spirit are. That is why you have a heart.” The world is a better place because Carole uses her heart every day to help people.