When Ruth dislocated her shoulder, she was high on a rugged mountain range. Without the generosity of the Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter supporters, she would’ve had to make her own way out, step by step for hours - in absolute agony.
A big thank you, to all of our AMAZING supporters for helping us fly to Ruth’s rescue!
Not long ago, Ruth and her partner were excited to take their 17-year-old niece on a tramping experience.
The hike got off to a fantastic start, but accidents happen, and Ruth slipped over. She knew immediately that something was wrong.
She told us,
“The first thing I remember was the pain. - I couldn’t move. I had to wait a few minutes for my partner and niece to realise [I’d fallen] and come back to find me.”
Ruth had badly dislocated her shoulder, and was in agony. Her partner used their PLB (personal locator beacon) to alert emergency services.
The rescue helicopter crew could immediately leap into action, but low cloud made it difficult to access the hikers.
“We heard the helicopter, but it couldn’t reach us” Ruth remembers. “I was worried I’d have to spend the night up there”.
But the crew weren’t giving up - they landed further down the track and Critical Care Flight Paramedic Ben started walking up towards them as they slowly descended. When they finally met up Ben relocated her shoulder and, after making sure she was stable, they continued down to a location the rescue helicopter could uplift them from.
“I vividly remember the sight and sound of the helicopter coming to pick me up – it was such a relief after so many hours and still makes me emotional.
I feel enormous gratitude for the wonderful team who came to my rescue. What started as a nightmare turned into a hugely positive experience that I’ll remember for a lifetime.”
Ruth’s shoulder has healed up beautifully. In fact, she feels ‘better than before’.
It's thanks to our generous supporters that rescue's like Ruth's can happen.
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