Bradenton toddler reunited with Manatee County paramedic who saved him after seizures

Michael Moore Jr.
·2 min read

When little Nolan Backus went to take a tour at Manatee County EMS Station 10 on Wednesday, he did so with a toy ambulance in hand.

It’s the 2-and-a-half-year-old’s favorite toy, his mother, Julia Backus, said.

The two were invited to visit the station to be reunited with an old yet new friend: the paramedic who saved Nolan’s life.

Nolan ended up in Manatee County paramedic Kevin Guido’s ambulance on that fateful day in March when he started having seizures at his daycare and had to be intubated.

Backus credits Guido with saving her child’s life. She was thankful to be reunited with Guido, only this time, under better circumstances.

Especially for her son, Nolan, who said he wants to drive an ambulance and help people someday.

Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, uses a stethoscope in the back of an ambulance at EMS Station 10. Backus got to meet the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido, 36, who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.
Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, uses a stethoscope in the back of an ambulance at EMS Station 10. Backus got to meet the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido, 36, who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.

“He’s obsessed with ambulances, but the last time he was in one wasn’t the most pleasant,” Backus said.

She said while he probably doesn’t even remember the ordeal, given that he was 1 at the time, she said it was nice to bring him back here and give him a positive experience with ambulances.

Nolan, with Guido’s help, got to climb on board and explore the emergency vehicle. He sat in the driver’s seat where he put his hands on the wheel and told anyone who would listen that he “was driving an ambulance.” He also turned on the lights and played with the siren and horn.

He even got to play with a stethoscope, which he used to listen to his mother’s heart.

“I’m a doctor,” Nolan said.

Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, uses a stethoscope in the back of an ambulance at EMS Station 10. Backus got to meet the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido, 36, who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.
Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, uses a stethoscope in the back of an ambulance at EMS Station 10. Backus got to meet the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido, 36, who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.

Guido said reconnecting with Nolan was a positive experience for him as well, as he usually doesn’t get to find out what happens to his patients after they leave his care.

But on Wednesday, he got closure knowing Nolan is doing well.

Guido said working with children who are really sick, like Nolan was, is “always stressful,” but he said, “you fall back on your training and you just stay focused.” And so that’s what he did.

The result? A bright, smiling, healthy boy visiting an EMS Station right before the holidays.

And the cherry on top?

Guido had a present for Nolan before he left.

A stuffed animal version of Rucker, the Golden Retriever who is the Manatee County Public Safety Department’s emotional support animal.

But Guido had a second present for Nolan, too — another toy ambulance.

Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, plays with a toy ambulance he received as a gift when meeting the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.
Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, plays with a toy ambulance he received as a gift when meeting the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.
Julia Backus and her son, Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, got to meet the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido, 36, who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.
Julia Backus and her son, Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, got to meet the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido, 36, who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.
Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, plays with a toy ambulance he received as a gift when meeting the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.
Nolan Backus, 2 1/2, plays with a toy ambulance he received as a gift when meeting the Manatee County charge paramedic Kevin Guido who treated him in an ambulance after he suffered a seizure at his daycare in March.