Not long ago, 26-year-old Storm was competing at a local horse trial. Her mum and dad were proudly cheering from the sidelines.
Things were going well until Storm’s horse hit the jump, and did a forward rotation … landing heavily on Storm.
The crowd froze. Was she ok?
Storm told us,
“I always get up after falling off, but this time I didn’t. Instantly, Mum and Dad knew it was bad.”
The paramedics rushed onto the scene, and someone dialed 111. Meanwhile, Storm’s mum crouched down by her daughter’s head.
“I remember looking up and seeing mum. She looked really worried, so I said, “I’m ok mumma.”
Despite her brave words, Storm wasn’t ok. In fact, her neck was distorted and blue, and she was struggling to breathe.
Storm was in critical danger.
But at this moment, caring people in the community did something wonderful: you delivered the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter straight to the scene.
The sound of the chopper brought a feeling of immediate relief to everyone.
Your rescue helicopter crew jumped out of the chopper with their gear in hand. After swiftly assessing the situation, they immediately began administering an ICU standard of critical paramedic care, right there on the ground.
“I always knew the rescue helicopter did an important job, but when it’s yourself, there is a new gratitude for their work and how great they actually are.”
After stabilising Storm and administering pain relief, your rescue helicopter crew flew Storm (and her mum) straight to Waikato hospital – providing a gold-standard of treatment and care throughout the entire flight.
“Words don’t feel enough,” says Storm. “The only thing I can say is thank you so much for giving me the best fighting chance to live.”
Storm’s road to recovery has been long and difficult, but she will always be grateful for her rescue.
And so will we.
Thank you to everyone who helped your Greenlea Rescue Helicopter crew fly to Storm’s side that day. And thank you for ensuring we can be there in time...every time.
