Sacha and her family have a favourite mountain walk. They must’ve tramped up and down that mountain 100+ times.
But one day, Sacha says…
“We were coming down, and I slipped. I heard my leg snap. I was in so much pain, trying to stay strong in front of our 3 young children.”
Desperate to help his wife, Sacha’s husband tried to find a neighboring farmer who had a 4-wheeler who could help get Sacha down off the trail. But he found no one.
Meanwhile, Sacha dialled 111 hoping to get an ambulance to meet them at the carpark at the bottom of the trail.
“[The person on the phone] talked to me about my injuries, and then said he’d have a rescue helicopter to me in 6 minutes. Hearing someone say, ‘6 minutes’ was the biggest relief.
“The rescue helicopter got to me before hubby even returned, which was lucky because in hindsight there was no way they would’ve been able to move me with the excruciating pain I was in.”
This is where your local rescue helicopter (and our incredible supporters) made such an extraordinary difference to Sacha.
You see, an ambulance would’ve struggled to get close enough up the mountain, with ground crew having to walk in and then carry out a patient on foot in this situation. On top of that, the hospital was a 45-minute drive away.
Because of you, your rescue helicopter crew were able to arrive on the scene within minutes - bringing immediate relief to the distraught family. Sacha’s location meant that the best and quickest way to get help to her, was via the winch.
Critical Care Flight Paramedic Michael was winched down to Sacha, meaning treatment began immediately to bring her pain under control.
“It had started raining by that stage, and I was struggling to stay awake with the pain. But when the chopper arrived, I knew I was in safe hands. The flight paramedic was so calm, and the crew made me feel safe.”
Critical Care Flight Paramedic Michael immediately got to work, stabilising Sacha for the flight. Once stabilised both Sacha and CCFP Michael were then winched up to the helicopter.
From there, your rescue crew safely flew Sacha to hospital, where she spent the night sedated while her leg was moved back into place. The next day, she had corrective surgery on her broken tibia and fibula. Sacha underwent a procedure called IM Nailing (Intramedullary nailing) where a rod was inserted into the center of her tibia.
Thankfully, Sacha is now on the mend, and she and her family will always be grateful for her rescue that day.
“We are so lucky to have these amazing people and services,” she told us. “The kindness, how relaxed they are, and how efficient they are is just invaluable.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making that day so much easier to get through, and for your kindness and support. I will be forever grateful.”