Heather threw herself into being an EMT whole-heartedly. I never asked her what prompted her to pursue that particular endeavor, but whatever the catalyst was it drove her to be the best EMT she could possibly be.  Perhaps that was just her nature and was how she tackled everything worth doing. There were countless 911 calls we went on together in the eight years she was an EMT.  After almost every call Heather would break out the NH EMS Protocols manual we have in the ambulance and used it to review what we did, if we missed anything, or if we could/should have done anything differently. Every opportunity to learn was clearly an honored behavior for Heather. The outcome for many of our 911 calls were happy, others quite tragic, and some just plain benign. Regardless of the nature or the outcome of a call, foremost for Heather was the compassion she brought to the care we render. I can be rather blunt and sometimes rote in my procedures, but for Heather the compassion to our patient was never to be overlooked. One particular call comes to mind and without getting specific for fear of a HIPAA violation, we had a patient with a medical condition that in all honesty made her in fear for her life. While en route to the hospital and after all our treatments and documentation were completed the patient asked Heather to pray for her. I don't think Heather knew the patient personally, nor was she aware of the patient's faith, but without hesitation Heather held the patient's hand and offered a prayer on her behalf. I'm not a religious person and thankfully Heather never held that against me, but the peace of mind that simple gesture brought to our patient was priceless. It has been an honor to know and work with Heather Makechnie, so to honor her spirit I will strive to do the best work I can, always try to make the most of every opportunity to learn, and never forget to be as compassionate as circumstances permit.