09/29/2026
We can’t forget that our work is all about people. It’s a labor of love, compassion, and excellence in care. 🚑 At our 50th Anniversary Celebration, we had the privilege of standing beside two former patients who remind us exactly why rural EMS matters so much—and why Hayfield is so much more than just the place we call home. 🫶🏻
On the far left is John Steele. When John suffered a heart attack at home, Hayfield Ambulance responded with crew John Bacigalupo and Reagan Barnes (not pictured). Using our cardiac monitor, the crew recognized his heart attack in real time and provided care on the way to St. Mary’s, where he was quickly taken to the cardiac catheterization lab.
John’s case was particularly remarkable because he was in a paced rhythm, making the heart attack more difficult to identify on an ECG. Our crew recognized a STEMI based on their training and experience and consulted with St. Mary’s physicians for confirmation, allowing his care to move forward quickly. John made a full recovery and is now living his best life with his family—and we couldn’t be more grateful.
On the far right is Larry Andrist. Larry suffered a heart attack and then went into cardiac arrest in front of EMS at his home. John Bacigalupo and Nicole Bacigalupo had first responded to his emergency that night because our ambulance was already out on another call. With support from our partners at Mayo Clinic Ambulance, Larry was successfully resuscitated. Larry truly didn’t have a second to spare that night. Today, he too is living his best life with his family.
It was incredibly special to see both of these gentlemen at our celebration, and we thank them so much for coming to share this milestone with us.
For 50 years, our service has been there when our neighbors needed help. In a rural community, the time it takes for care to arrive matters and so does having highly trained people close to home who are ready to act when seconds count.
Seeing these two men standing with us 50 years into the story of Hayfield Community Ambulance makes that mission deeply personal.
A “save” reaches far beyond the patient. It means more time with family. More birthdays. More holidays. More ordinary days together. More memories that haven’t happened yet. It means a story gets to continue. Those calls stay with the crew members who answered them, too.
We are incredibly grateful to John and Larry for sharing this moment with us, and to every person who has served, supported, volunteered for, worked alongside, or believed in our rural EMS service over the past 50 years. This is why we do what we do. ❤️
*Both patients provided permission to share their stories publicly.
