When volunteer firefighter and photographer Micheal Dwyer decided to start writing about some of his experiences, his intended audience was very small: His nine grandchildren.
“As I got into my 60s, I wanted to help them learn from my mistakes and see the disparity between the truths I learned and those things told to me that I later found to be untrue,” he said.
Being diagnosed with lymphoma gave Dwyer the incentive to start documenting the most crucial moments in his life.
“While undergoing treatment, I had to refocus,” said Dwyer. “My photography studio was closed due to COVID, so I had a lot of time for reading and writing.”
Two guiding principles Dwyer illustrates in his book, “Simple Truths/Complicated Lies,” are that God answers prayers and that volunteerism enriches our lives. Both of these beliefs were richly confirmed for him following a call he received while at home on a Sunday afternoon.
“Arlington Rescue . . . personal injury collision . . . semi versus car . . . person possibly pinned . . . Sky Med is on standby.”
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In his book, Dwyer recalls the grim situation he and his team saw as they arrived on the scene: The driver of the car was deceased, and a female passenger was lying on the floorboard in front of what remained of the rear seat.
After freeing her from the wreckage, the Arlington Rescue team prepared her for transport. Once the patient was in the air and on the way to Omaha, Dwyer took a moment to process what he and his fellow volunteers had just spent an hour dealing with.
In his book, Dwyer wrote: “I remember that in all that horror and chaos, no one had lost their cool. Everyone was composed and focused. It was a great crew, and we had given this girl every chance.”
As the debris was being removed from the highway, Dwyer and two other volunteers took a moment to pray together. Although they were not feeling optimistic about the young woman’s future, Dwyer said praying did the three of them good.
“Four hours later, we got a call from the hospital that she was still alive but extremely critical,” Dwyer said. “Nine days later, we learned that she was out of ICU. And 35 days later, she was released.”
Four months following the collision, the woman paid a visit to the Arlington Rescue team who helped save her life. As a volunteer, Dwyer knows that words of gratitude and community appreciation are the only way he gets paid. The joy of seeing a life saved, he wrote, and of being part of a miracle like this is immeasurable.
Dwyer also shares some surprising statistics: The truth is that 78 percent of Nebraska and over 70 percent of our nation is protected and served by volunteer fire and emergency medical providers.
He also shares a sad reality: While the volume of calls is increasing, the number of volunteer responders is shrinking drastically. The truth is that PTSD is real and can be devastating for the responder, their family, and their community.
This shortage of volunteers prompted Dwyer to take action. As a member of the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighters Association, he worked tirelessly to get a bill passed that would provide volunteer responders mental health coverage for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Although the bill met with considerable resistance, Dwyer knows that his fervent prayers are what pushed it through.
“I had an opportunity to make a difference,” Dwyer said. This is one of the truths he wanted his grandchildren to grasp and put to work in their own lives.
“It’s not about being bigger, better, and faster,” Dwyer said. “It’s about going deeper and wider.”
For more information on Micheal Dwyer and his book, Simple Truths/Complicated Lies, visit his website michealdwyer.com/st-cl.