Tell Me Something Good: Saying thank you

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Ella McLaughlin estimates emergency crews have responded to her apartment some 800 times over the past ten years. Her very existence has depended on the skill and goodwill of others.

August 11th, 2014 was the day that my life changed forever. We have the best EMS. We have the best fire department. We have the best deputies. And I would not be alive today if it was not for them.

Ella McLaughlin

Ella has mitochondrial disease. It’s a genetic condition that prevents her cells from producing enough energy to sustain life. Her nutrition and hydration come through tubes.

Last summer, doctors told Ella she was three days away from hospice care. Today, she’s making plans to live life.

This weekend, Ella is moving closer to specialty care at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Once again, she hopes, her life will change.

I’m going to be able to go adaptive biking, adaptive skiing, with Vermont Adaptive. I’m going to be very close to my hospital, so whenever I need medical care, I can just go.

Ella McLaughlin

As exciting as it all is, Ella wouldn’t leave without saying thanks to the sheriff’s deputies, ambulance crews, and firefighters who’ve become like family.

Whether it’s three in the afternoon or three in the morning, when life gets her down, she still gets up.

Ella says many times she had to be resuscitated. But at the toughest times, it helps to remember some of the calls that left them smiling.