Honorees

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Year Honored
2009
Honoree
Kalaya Jarbsunthie
Agency
Mercy Air Ambulance
Agency City
Pahrump
Agency State
NV
Last Call
9/7/02
Cause of Death
Medical Aviation Accident
Biography
"She was such a special person," stated Mary Kincaid-Chauncey of the paramedic that she opened up her home to and brought up as one of her own. "Kalaya loved what she did," said Frank Kincaid, her brother. She turned down an appointment to the Air Force Academy to become a paramedic. She loved helping people. Kalaya had been on the job as an air paramedic for about a month and was excited about her job. "Her wedding was to take place in a month with wedding invitations going out in yesterday's mail. She was deeply loved by her family and will be greatly missed," stated Kincaid.<br /> <br /> Kalaya Jarbsunthie, 31, was killed in the line of duty on September 7, 2002. She was part of a three-person team en route to a serious car crash in the desolate area of Mountain Pass on the California-Nevada line. The medical helicopter crashed and burned, leaving no survivors.<br /> <br /> Paramedic Jarbsunthie had been with Mercy Air Ambulance for two months. She and Ana Coburn, the flight nurse aboard, were good friends as well as co-workers. "Those two girls were special and they knew what they were doing; it is going to take a while to get used to not seeing them bust through the doors always wearing big smiles," said a co-worker.<br /> <br /> Honored 2009