Page 29 - WriteAwaySept

Don Murdoch
Don Murdoch

t Call Me A Hero is an emotional ambulance where he performed night. The important theme that Don
terpiece that bears witness to infant CPR all the way to the wanted to convey was that he never
ife of an innocent child lost and Hospital. Upon arrival, Don hesitated felt like a hero. The song was fittingly
an, tormented and haunted by before handing the baby over to the named, "Don't Call Me A Hero."As
traumatic and shared experi- attending emergency physician. The much as the song is for the memory
e. physician told Murdock it was okay. of the little girl, it has also been a
way of healing for Murdock. Writing
ng his years as a firefighter, "I turned around and looked at my the song has been an emotional
dock was awarded Canada's reflection off some glass and all I experience for him. "It's part of the
al of Bravery and was lauded as could see was that my face was healing process for me," he said. For
, but as many firefighters will tell totally black and tears were coming years after Don would wake up in the
he wasn't the hero - someone out of my eyes," he said. "I knew she middle of the night in a cold sweat
was. The hero, Murdock says, had gone." with that little girl and the traumatic
a two-year-old girl who lost her events of that night in his head.
n a fire in March 1985. Each time Don would go by the
house he would say a little prayer The song had an immediate impact
as a night he will never forget. A and made her this promise. "If I ever on the firefighter and first responder
t that still haunts him almost one day could do anything to make communities, and is being shared
e decades later. The night Don sure that your brief existence, your across various social media
dock made a silent promise. life is going to mean something to platforms. Tens of thousands have
somebody someday…" heard the song, read his story, and
call came shortly after midnight. hundreds have been moved to share
and the rest of the crew arrived That day came 28 years later when their own experiences directly with
e scene, finding the home fully Don invited Brian Dolph, a Canadian Don through email and private
ved, flames and smoke billow- songwriter and producer and Mary- messages.
above. A young girl, the Lynn Neil, a 15-year-old singer/song-
ysitter, was panicked and writer to hear his story and help Reverbnation link...
aming. She was pointing to the bring his thoughts to life in song.
ing building, continuing to Dolph said hearing Murdock's story Facebook link...
am. There were children still was an emotional experience, one
e. Murdock and another that even drove Neil to tears. After Spotify link....
ghter entered the home, but hearing about the incident, the trio
kly became disoriented. "There wo r k e d
so much smoke in there at the together to
, we couldn't see two feet in front write the
s," Murdock said. song. Don't
Call Me A
ause the heat was so intense and Hero was a
smoke thick and black, the two truly organic
e unable to see a thing and had to writing
their way through the house on experience.
ds and knees. Through the After hearing
usion Don heard his partner yell the story from
he had found one. As Don turned Don, some
ard the sound of his partner's kind of magic
e a flashover occurred knocking ha ppened
m both to the ground. Then his and the music
met melted. That was also the came
opportunity Don had to see the together in
He took the child from his about 30
ner, rushed to the front door minutes. The
re he handed her to EMS lyrics
onnel. Don then re-entered the essentially
se, found his partner, guiding him followed the
the baby to he front door. Don storyline from
took the baby from his injured the events of
ner, jumped in the back of the that tragic

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