Patrick Pelloux, an emergency room doctor and a former writer for Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine attacked by terrorists in January, was one of the first responders at the Paris attacks that took the lives of at least 127 people on Friday, according to French media.
Pelloux said he spent the night working with Paris’ emergency medical services, French paper L’Express reports.
“It’s the least we can do. All colleagues who went on site came back changed, very marked. We are ready to return even if we are only a small stone of the building,” the former writer told the paper. “Do not change and do not give in to fear, even if it is hard and terrible. I understand that feeling well. I am wracked by anxiety. But I prefer to return to make myself useful.”
ISIS has claimed responsibility for both attacks in Paris. President François Holande called the Friday night massacre an “act of war” and shut down France’s borders.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Introducing the 2024 TIME100 Next
- The Reinvention of J.D. Vance
- How to Survive Election Season Without Losing Your Mind
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Scams
- Did the Pandemic Break Our Brains?
- The Many Lives of Jack Antonoff
- 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre
- Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
Write to Eliana Dockterman at eliana.dockterman@time.com