Mother of Son With Special Medical Needs Lauds Professionalism and Compassion of Pittsburgh Firefighters

Cherise Rossmiller had to move to a big city to get small-town service from 911.

She moved from Alabama to the North Side to be near family in August when the Army deployed her husband overseas. She cares for their son, Sully, 2, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder that affects his muscles.

At about 1 year old, he lost his ability to swallow, cough and breath, and doctors put him on a ventilator. When emergency responders in the city learned about her son's condition, they went to her home and added her address to a list of places where people have special medical needs.

"I was shocked and so touched by the level of professionalism and compassion for our situation," Rossmiller, 39, said of Pittsburgh firefighters and paramedics. "Being an Army wife and the mother of a fragile child, nothing is easy. The fact they made it so easy for our family is so appreciated."

Her brother told firefighters working out of 37 Engine's station on West North Avenue about Sully. They came to her house to check it out and returned an hour later to install extra smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

"When you see a child like that, you think about how hard her day must be," firefighter Jeff Lang said. "For us to put smoke detectors in, it's nothing."

Paramedics also came to help her with empty oxygen tanks and to learn more about Sully's condition, Rossmiller said. They added her address to Allegheny County's 911 system so dispatchers will be aware of Sully if a call comes in for the house, an alert Rossmiller could not arrange in Alabama.

The county's 911 computer system has about 3,300 such alerts assigned to addresses for medical, safety and other issues, said Gary J. Thomas, assistant chief and 911 coordinator of the county's Department of Emergency Services. The department plans to start a program to solicit information from those with hearing, vision and other impairments to add to the alert system, Thomas said.

"It's an effort to help the citizens with special needs in order to communicate with the first responders," Thomas said. "And they'll know what to expect when they get there."

Doctors diagnosed Sully with Type 1 Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA, when he couldn't hold his head up at 4 months old, Rossmiller said. Doctors didn't think he would live past age 2.

"It's such a complicated disorder, and in an emergency situation, it's almost impossible to explain in a few sentences," Rossmiller said. "It's so overwhelming to get the words out. The fact that they might at least have an idea because of the forethought and planning they did is just huge. When there's an emergency situation, the load will be a little bit lighter."

Sully, whose full name is John Sullivan Rossmiller, spends his days under the care of his mother and a nurse while he lies on a couch in the living room. Rossmiller likes him there -- he can see her, his younger brother, Max, and whoever else is visiting.

"The hardest part as a mother is he knows what's going on. He notices everything," she said.

She tries to take him to the park on the North Side to feed the ducks every day she can. The process involves loading him into a special stroller with a headset and a ventilator, and carrying an emergency supply bag in case of trouble. On a trip on Monday, he wore red Spider-Man sunglasses and smiled as soon as the sun hit his face.

"I know what his prognosis is, but I want him to live a little," she said. "We want Sully to see the world as much as possible."

McClatchy-Tribune News Service