Not long ago, Mike headed out in the morning for a 3-hour kayak on the Tongariro River. After he’d completed the more difficult white-water section, Mike came to a split in the river, he accidently drifted to the wrong side…
He told us,
“My kayak got broached on a rock, and so I stood up. As I grabbed my paddle, the boat slipped out of reach.”
He tried to swim after it but soon realised the water was far too rapid and dangerous to swim in.
All it took was a moment, and Mike was left stranded on the scrubby river beach. With his phone and bag in the kayak, he had no way of contacting anyone for help, and no way out.
Mike was getting colder, despite good gear and some spare clothing. The temperature dropped noticeably when the sun went down and was forecast to fall to zero that night.
Back at the meeting point, his family were anxiously waiting for Mike to arrive. Hours ticked by, and he still didn’t come. Feeling utterly helpless and worried, Mike’s wife dialed 111…
You see, while Mike wasn’t injured, he was in grave danger of hypothermia.
People often underestimate how deadly hypothermia can be – but the truth is that each passing hour only put Mike in greater danger.
But as he huddled on the river bank, shivering, Mike heard a loud noise and saw a bright light in the sky.
Mike couldn’t believe it. He told us,
“I didn’t think anyone would come out in the dark. I got up and waved, but I wasn’t sure they saw me or not. They seemed to hover for what seemed like an eternity.”
Finally, the lights moved closer, and Mike saw something moving in the shadows above…
“The flight paramedic was being winched down. He wanted to make sure I was ok, and I told him, ‘I’m fine, I’m just cold.’
“He got his winching gear out, and I got wired up. As we went up, I had no sense of height… all I could see was the rescue helicopter lights getting closer.”
As soon as he got inside the helicopter, Mike instantly felt warmer. But it wasn’t enough.
Understandably, our Critical Care Flight Paramedic was extremely concerned about hypothermia. He gave Mike hand warmers, which made a huge difference in bringing up his body temperature.
And when they landed a short while later at a nearby airfield, Mike was greeted with tears of joy by his wife and brother-in-law.
If you’re able, please help your crew stay mission-ready after dark.
Give the gift of sight in the dark this Christmas and help your crew return home safely - and bring others safely home to theirs.
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