With Harrell's help, Blair was admitted to the school and enrolled in the EMS program in 2015.
Upon meeting Blair, the EMS Programs Coordinator for BSC, Chris Avery, knew he had to do everything he could to make her dream come true.
While Blair was working hard in class, Avery collaborated with local EMS groups to plan her clinical rotation/EMS mock call, and an awards ceremony to be held afterward.
The drill began with a call to the EMS station about a student who had fallen at the BSC Student Wellness Center. For her clinical rotation, Blair was posted at South GA EMS and immediately got to work with the rest of the EMS team there.
Blair was put in charge of the radio, keeping everyone organized to and from the call. She worked alongside the EMTs and paramedics at the scene, just like she'd always wished to, and accompanied the "patient" to the ER, where she reported the incident to the staff.
When they returned to the campus, Blair was greeted by not only her classmates but friends and family too. They were all there for her surprise honorary awards ceremony. Avery presented her with an EMT pin, and Dr. Stuart Rayfield, the Interim President at Bainbridge State College was there to present her with the Honorary EMT Award. Her classmates gifted her flowers and her first stethoscope.
Blair couldn't stop smiling. “I feel great. I want to save lives and to help others who are in need. My parents are happy for me and help support my goals," she said. Her mom was incredibly proud of her too.
“I can’t describe it. When she was born and we found out she had Down’s syndrome, we wondered what her life would be like and what she would be able to accomplish,” McMillian said. “Blair is proof that there are no mistakes... She doesn’t have disabilities. She has abilities—and I hope that’s what people have seen today.”
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