ERMA – A pair of Inspira EMTs developed such a good relationship with 8-year-old Karson Hudson, of Lower Township, that he dubbed them his “angel buddies.”
According to Amber Hudson, Karson’s mom, EMTs Brian Cassidy and Brittany Conrad have been regularly transporting Karson to the hospital since he began having seizures in October 2021. Born with genetic anomalies, Karson has seven to eight seizures per week and must go to the emergency room if the seizure lasts more than five minutes.
Hudson said Cassidy and Conrad have been to their house for Karson 15 to 20 times in the past two years. She said over that time, the pair have bonded with Karson to the point where other EMTs only have to mention their names and it has a soothing effect on Karson.
Hudson said Karson has a number of special needs related to genetic conditions. Karson has autism and is considered developmentally delayed. He has a number of physical disabilities and has been diagnosed with four types of epilepsy, which account for seizures, including photosensitive epilepsy.
Hudson said one type of epilepsy is related to a sensitivity to light, especially strobing light, but it can also occur as the result of sound, such as a fire bell in school.
Karson tested positive for some genetic abnormalities that are associated with certain cognitive and physical abnormalities. As a result of his conditions, Karson takes seizure medication three times a day.
Cassidy and Conrad, as fate would have it, were working when most of the calls for Karson came in. According to Hudson, New Jersey law does not allow the EMTs to carry any medication that would help Karson deal with a seizure, so they had to rely on their training, skills, and sense of compassion. And of course, as they continued to respond to calls for Karson, they began to learn more about him, his needs, and his personality.
Conrad, who has worked in emergency medical services (EMS) for nearly 18 years, spoke to the Herald and said she and Cassidy both worked for the former Lower Township Rescue Squad before going to work for Inspira. She said there was a long list of factors that went into a relationship developing between them and Karson.
“We were the first two who responded to the very first seizure. Since then, it seemed Brian (Cassidy) and I were always working when something happened,” she said.
Conrad said it doesn’t take much to develop connections with patients. She said just through the interaction you begin to feel something. With Karson, they quickly began to know what was normal for him and how to treat him.
“His mom also updates us, and in the spring, Karson and my son were on the same soccer team,” Conrad said.
Conrad told Hudson she would be at the soccer games and when Karson had his first few seizures at games, Conrad was right there to help him.
Conrad said Karson also just forged a special place in her heart.
“He always has the biggest smile. And even when he has seizures, he’s stronger than most adults,” she said.
Conrad said Karson’s parents are also very knowledgeable about his conditions, listen to the doctors, and know what to do.
Hudson said there was a lot for them to learn, such as that paramedics can take care of a patient, but the EMTs in New Jersey are more limited, so it was such a blessing that Conrad and Cassidy developed such a connection with Karson.
After getting Karson to the hospital the first time, they stayed with him as emergency room staff were busy with other things. They and another EMT got Karson into a trauma bay and eventually got the attention of a medical doctor to attend to Karson.
“If they didn’t do this to get attention, my son would not be here today,” Hudson said.
Hudson said Cassidy and Conrad continued to stop back at the hospital that evening, giving her hugs and asking her how she was doing. Even after Karson was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Cassidy and Conrad continued to check with Hudson to see how things were going.
About a month later, Karson had another seizure and Cassidy and Conrad came out. Hudson said she has five children between the ages of 3 and 12 and the EMTs, who came to be known as Mr. Brian (Cassidy) and Ms. Britt (Conrad), developed a relationship with all the children.
“Brian (Cassidy), who would drive the ambulance, would wave to the kids. (Cassidy and Conrad) would tell me, ‘Mom, we got this. He’s in the best hands possible,’” Hudson said. “We would feel so comfortable when Brian (Cassidy) and Britt (Conrad) came out. Karson would feel that as well.”
Hudson said every time Karson had a seizure, it was like a miraculous thing when Cassidy and Conrad showed up. Then, as other EMTs picked up on the relationship, they would tell Karson, “We are friends with Mr. Brian (Cassidy) and Ms. Britt (Conrad),” and Karson would relax.
That Karson is comfortable with the EMTs means a lot to his family, especially since he has been bullied at school for having seizures. Then, Karson was feeling blue because it was supposed to rain, and none of his friends from school were going to show up to his birthday party. Hudson said Karson asked Conrad, “Do you want to come to my birthday party?” and she told him it would depend on how busy they were whether they would show up or not. Knowing the EMTs were going to be there, Hudson said they had Karson stand by the front door. When he saw the ambulance, he asked his mother, “Is that my angel buddies?”
They had never used the term before that.
Karson met them outside and walked them into his aunt’s house, where the party was being held, and showed them his taco-themed birthday party and the cupcakes and they all sang happy birthday. Cassidy and Conrad gave Karson a soccer ball and some art supplies, knowing how much he liked to draw.
“It was just surprising that they remembered,” Hudson said. “It shows they listen to him.”
Karson ended up having a 32-minute seizure on Memorial Day. Hudson said Karson’s “angel buddies” are now familiar with his condition, and were able to explain to the paramedics what was wrong with Karson because his parents were so upset they were unable to speak. Hudson said this is just another example of what Conrad and Cassidy have done for them.
“They helped us tremendously in that moment,” Hudson said.
Cassidy and Conrad told the medics what works with Karson and what doesn’t, and they were with him when he was transported to the hospital. Karson ended up being transferred to CHOP, where he spent five days. Hudson said all that time Karson was asking about his angel buddies, and that they were encouraging him.
“They would say, ‘We love you, buddy. You’re a fighter,’” Hudson said. “And when he was bummed out and didn’t go to school for a week, Brian (Cassidy) tried to keep encouraging him through the week.”
The next time Karson saw the EMTs, he told his mother, “My angel buddies are here,” and he went outside and gave them epilepsy bracelets.
Hudson said Karson wrote a book telling about his experiences with epilepsy, and two pages of the book are dedicated to his “angel buddies” – Cassidy and Conrad.
Contact the author, Christopher South, csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
