It was a gorgeous day, and John had just nipped out for a bit of fishing. One moment, he was casting his line into the Ōtaki River …
… and the next, he’s blinking in the sunlight and coughing up water, thinking, ‘Where am I?’
“I look to my right, and there’s a man in sitting there in a wetsuit. He kept saying, “Stay calm, keep calm,” but I can’t remember anything.”
A few moments earlier, two freak waves had surged up out of the river, slamming into John. As he tried to regain his balance, a third wave swelled up - knocking him unconscious and sweeping him into the river.
Miraculously, someone nearby had seen John go under. He shouted at nearby windsurfer, ‘There’s a body in the water!’
The windsurfer turned and saw John’s head underwater. Acting fast, he managed to drag him out of the river.
But while John was out of the water, he wasn’t out of danger. You see, hypothermia was setting in, and he needed to get to hospital fast.
This is where you made such a huge difference. The boggy terrain meant an ambulance wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near John – but amazing support meant the Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter could land close by.
As soon as they landed, the Critical Care Flight Paramedic leapt into action. The crew stripped off John’s wet clothing and covered him in warming blankets (paid for by amazing donors – thank you). And once John’s condition was stable, they flew him straight to hospital.
John told us, “I was in ICU for the night, heating up because I had hypothermia and water in my lungs. I felt like a train had hit me for a week. I was really, unbelievably lucky.”
Today, John has fully recovered, and is immensely grateful for everyone who played a part in saving his life that day.
And so are we. Donors help us fly to people like John’s rescue in the nick of time. Thank you > https://give.rescue.org.nz/event/grassroots-trust-rescue-helicopter/donate