Sixteen years ago, in the early morning hours of January 30th, when temperatures were in the low 20s, a call came in. Like so many others before it and after it, volunteers got out of warm beds, put on their gear, and answered the call without hesitation.

That night wasn’t just another call.

It was the night we met Spencer.

Decisions had to be made quickly. In bone-chilling cold, our crews worked together, doing everything they could to save a 14-year-old boy’s life. On the way to a helicopter, Spencer flatlined. In seconds, a critical decision was made to divert to Peconic Bay Medical Center instead. The actions and decisions taken together by the crews — the training, the teamwork, the calm under pressure — are what made the difference.

This is why volunteers do what they do.

Reading Spencer’s mom’s post 16 years later brings back the flashbacks for one of the volunteers who responded that night. The cold. The urgency. The teamwork. And the realization that the actions and decisions taken together by the crews saved his life.

That volunteer shared:

“Reading Spencer’s mom’s post 16 years later brings back the flashbacks for me. I’m just one of the volunteers who responded that night. The cold. The urgency. The teamwork. And the realization that the actions taken together by me and my team saved his life.

We followed Spencer’s mom’s updates over the days and weeks that followed, reading every bit of progress she shared. Her commitment to never leaving Spencer’s side, putting her own life on hold, speaks volumes to the definition of the best mom ever.

I was lead on this call, and I learned a lot that night… everything happens for a reason, right? Maybe that’s why my daughter was born on the same month and day as Spencer’s mom.”

Today, Spencer is 30 years old.

We met him when he was 14.

And to us, Spencer is — and will always be — an honorable member of Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps.

We love you, Spencer.

You’re one of us.