Frog

‘A riveting ride along the knife edge of life and death from a frontline worker in one of our most crucial professions.’ Fiona Kelly McGregor, author of Iris

‘Frog’, a term of endearment for intensive care paramedics, derives from the notion that everything they touch croaks. Sally Gould delivers a gripping and heartfelt memoir that dives into the unpredictable, often absurd, and sometimes heartbreaking reality of life as a paramedic. Life as a paramedic, writes Sally Gould in this candid, witty memoir, can be traumatic, gross, dull, hilarious, magical. To make the cut, you need to be able to think outside the square, keep calm in the midst of chaos, be in possession of a strong stomach, and simply brush it off when patients die. That’s on top of having a profound understanding of the human body, plus the skills to counter its failings. It also helps to have a highly developed and oftentimes dark sense of humour.  But behind the sirens and the life-or-death scenes, and the absurdity of non-urgent callouts, a paramedic’s career is very different to how most people imagine it. Based on years of meticulously kept journals, Frog is an intimate look at the human cost of the job and the cumulative effect of trauma. Sally shares a personal story that is searingly honest and truly inspiring, one which offers a heartfelt tribute to the resilience, courage and camaraderie that define the high-stakes world of emergency medicine.  

Author Biography

Sally Gould has been a paramedic for fourteen years and counting, and still finds joy in her self-proclaimed dream job. The professional and personal growth she experienced on the frontline, and the journals she kept during her early years in the field, were the inspiration for her memoir Frog. Her draft manuscript won the narrative non-fiction category in the 2023 ASA/CA Award Mentorship Program. When she’s not in uniform, Sally can be found tutoring paramedic students or immersed in her writing. She spends the rest of her days off nurturing herself through running, bushwalking, baking, attending theatre, and spending time with family and friends. Sally lives in Sydney with her husband and their two children.