As the world marks International Paramedics Day 2026, Shaydeen O’Sullivan has one simple message for the Netcare 911 team who helped save her daughter, Kiera, after a devastating accident last October: “Thank you”.
“When Kiera was critically injured in a freak accident in Ballito, your professionalism, skill and compassion made all the difference,” says Shaydeen.
“Today, seven months later, we are delighted to share that Kiera is doing incredibly well. She is back at school, thriving, and has returned to being the happy, determined little girl we all know and love. Most importantly, she is back to being ‘Cowgirl Kiera’ and has returned to her horse riding lessons – something she absolutely loves. Our family will never forget the care and support we received from Netcare 911 paramedics when we needed it most.”
For those who hold lives in their hands, knowing those lives are being lived to the fullest is one of the greatest rewards of all.
| Netcare 911 images (three): Behind every emergency response is a paramedic who chooses, every day, to meet someone else’s worst moment with skill, courage and compassion. |
| Kiera O’Sullivan images (three): Six-year-old Kiera O’Sullivan has made a remarkable recovery after being critically injured in a freak accident in Ballito last October. Her story is one of the 209 469 emergency calls Netcare 911 responded to over the past year. |
Kiera’s story is one of 209 469 calls for help Netcare 911 responded to over the past year – more than 500 every day. Behind every one of those calls are paramedics who answer without hesitation, regardless of the hour or the personal sacrifices involved.
For Gabriel Mosca being a paramedic is far more than a profession.
“To be a paramedic means being a pillar of strength in someone’s darkest hour. To be a source of calm. It’s an honour.”
His colleague, Clarinda Neven, describes it as something even deeper.
“It’s a core calling from within your being – to be there for others and to try and save lives. It’s a voice that you have in you that just won’t be quiet, unless you feed it.”
Answering that calling sometimes requires personal sacrifice.
“You may miss out on celebrating family birthdays – but every year, there is another birthday, another Christmas. The patient may not have that chance again.”
And even when the shift ends, the memories often persist in a deeply personal way.
“There are places that you drive, smells you encounter and scenes you witness that stay with you forever,” says Netcare 911 Rescue Officer Nick Berry. “Sometimes, years later, you just remember them again.”
To mark International Paramedics Day, Netcare 911 is sharing a compilation of messages and thoughts from paramedics who dedicate themselves every day to helping others through some of life’s most challenging moments.
International Paramedics Day commemorated on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, reminds us that behind every emergency response is a person who chooses, every day, to answer someone else’s worst moment with skill, courage and compassion.
“Every life saved, every family reunited, and every future restored gives meaning to the sacrifices emergency medical services make, and we thank every paramedic for their commitment to serving others,” says Netcare 911 managing director Craig Grindell.
If a Netcare 911 paramedic has touched your life or that of a loved one, why not share your story or a simple message on Netcare’s Facebook (Netcare Limited) and Instagram (Netcare_ZA) pages?
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Notes to editors
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