From ambulance paramedic to author

Local ER24 paramedic Waldo de Kock has turned a lifelong love of writing and years of real-life emergency service experience into two published books.

- Kristy Kolberg

Each one a glimpse into vastly different worlds.

De Kock, who previously served at ER24's George branch and now works in Knysna to be closer to his family, recently self-published 101 Paramedic Stories, a raw and insightful collection based on real cases he attended over the years.

His path in healthcare began in September 1998 when he did job shadowing in an ambulance. “My life took an unexpected turn in 2005, which I mention briefly in the book,” he says. “For a while, I only worked part-time as a paramedic.”

He joined ER24 in 2016, starting at the Southern Cape branch.

The advent of the author

His journey as a writer began as early as 2003 when, as a newly qualified paramedic, he started keeping a personal journal.