Living Life to the Fullest

He started Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and fire safety training at Northampton Community College (NCC) to supplement his income and meet new people in a new city. NCC alum and former EMS faculty, Eric Aquino, discovered that the training provided so much more than that.  

“I had just moved from Jersey City, NJ to the Lehigh Valley in 2002 after I married my wife. I loved it here, but I kept calling home to family. I didn't know anyone here. I needed something to take up my free time.” 

Aquino found that he could work as a volunteer firefighter when he wasn’t at work as a bank teller.  

He began volunteering for Firehouse 17 in Bethlehem Township, in spring of 2002, and he started Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training and Fire School at NCC in August of the same year so that he could be more hands-on in the field.  

“The instructors made it fun to learn, and I have trouble reading cause I had dyslexia. I remember absorbing so much in class with interesting lectures that kept you engaged, and it was better than picking up a book and reading on your own." 

Classes consisted of real-world training, exercises with mannequins and on each other, and Aquino recalls a scenario where his partner passed out, something that is seen in the field from time to time. He never considered that possibility, and for him, scenarios like this where he was taught how to calmly and efficiently deal with something that might come up on the job was what made the training so important.  

^{Aquino Supporting Pink Heals Nonprofit}

Aquino continued volunteering for a few years, including for another firehouse, Fire House 25 in Forks. Then, he started applying his training and experience to his career. He came back to NCC to teach in the EMS program for a few semesters. He moved on from his teller position and had a stint at a Plasma Donation Center and at a Manor Care, where they helped him get trained to become a nursing assistant.  

Eventually, Aquino found his place in a hospital setting. He worked as a telemetry technician for Easton Hospital before he moved on to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Jersey. There, he worked on the pediatric critical care transports team.  

“I always wanted to do EMS full time, and I told a co-worker at Easton Hospital that. She told me about the Robert Wood job. I got to be on the floor assisting nurses and aides with patient care, and when needed, I’d transport pediatric patients to the hospital from other hospitals that didn’t have a pediatric unit. I’d also pick up on 911 calls.”  

He did this for 10 years, but he took a position at Amazon Warehouse in the Lehigh Valley to be closer to home. He didn’t give up his passion, and he continued working with EMS part-time. 

Then, something strange started happening. When Aquino turned 38, he noticed a shoulder stiffness that wouldn’t go away. He went to physical therapy, but soon, he recognized another issue. He began to have tremors in his hands and legs. 

When he talked to his doctor, he was told it could be from stress and lack of sleep between volunteering and working. He was put on a muscle relaxer, but all it did was make him groggy. He was sent to a neurologist and mood and disorder specialist. He had CAT scans, MRIs, and a special scan that would finally diagnose him with what he thought it could be the whole time - Parkinson's Disease.  

“My grandmother had it, and when my hands started, I knew it. I always thought it was an ‘old person’s disease.’ I try to debunk that theory when I talk about it to others.”  

Medication does help him manage his symptoms. “It can affect mood, balance, concentration, and muscles. I have trouble sitting still sometimes, and if I skip my medication because I’m hyper focused on a task, I notice that I’ll start walking slow and feel drained." 

Aquino soon felt called to help others experiencing the same diagnosis and those caring for loved ones who were diagnosed. He started the Gray Strong Foundation in 2018.  

“I couldn’t find many resources here in the Lehigh Valley for people with Parkinson’s, so, I didn’t want others to have that same experience. I didn’t want people to feel lost." 

Gray Strong has been his focus full-time since 2023. He has helped revive and start much needed support groups, and now, there’s nine in the Valley. He hosts annual symposiums to guide and teach Parkinson's patients, caregivers and care partners. He speaks out about Parkinson’s and early diagnosis at different events and workshops throughout the country.  

Aquino continued with EMS until it was unsafe for him to do so. Now, he’s working on protocols for EMS on dealing with Parkinson’s patients. “In EMS training, it was only mentioned twice, but they don’t teach you about how to manage a patient or signs to look for.”  

His son and daughter, who, Aquino says, look at him like he has “quirks” and not a disease, try to use humor to get through the tough moments. “I always tell them laughter is the best medicine, so, make light of it, work around, and work through it.” 

Following in his father’s footsteps, Aquino’s son became an EMT. 

Aquino doesn’t let his diagnosis stop him from living his life to the fullest. He’s been backpacking with his son, and he and his son continue to do a lot of outdoor activities together. He also loves draw and create art, and recently, he tried his hand at writing. He published a book called, “Project Dopa,” about zombies who won’t eat the brains of people with Parkison's disease because they don’t have dopamine, which makes them taste different. He also has a podcast, Trembling EMT, where he talks about his own journey with Parkinson’s. 

The best advice he has for anyone battling this or other illness and disease was to try not to go down a rabbit hole. “I’d rather deal with one truth than 10 ‘what ifs’. When I first got diagnosed, I thought, ‘Now, I can move forward with it, and I’m on a time frame where I won't be able to do a lot of things, but I don’t know when.’ So, I decided to live every day doing things I can still do until I may not have the ability to.”