Elsie Bright knows going out in her garden could kill her if she's not careful.
The reason lies not behind an exotic breed of carnivorous plant, but a bug in Mrs Bright's bones that could quickly turn deadly.
"If I go into the garden I've got to make sure I've got gloves on," she said.
Thing could turn bad for Mrs Bright if she so much as breaks the skin.
"I've got to be careful with my eating habits and stress levels," she said. "It can flare up at any time."
If it does, though, the 61-year-old Patea woman knows there is a service to get her urgently to hospital, should she need it.
Life Flight is a Wellington-based charity providing air transport and emergency services to people who need them. Nationwide, 22,000 people have used Life Flight's services, which include the Westpac Rescue Helicopter in the greater Wellington area as well as a national air ambulance.
March 16 last year Mrs Bright was feeling unwell while having dinner with her then partner, now husband Jeff Bright at a friend's house.
"I had flu-like symptoms with severe chills and sweats. About 10pm that night I said: 'I think we need to go home because I don't feel very well'," she said.
"Poor Jeff, one minute he's putting the electric blanket on, getting two extra blankets and just hugging me to warm me and stop the shaking, then next thing he was taking them away."
After a visit to the doctor on March 21, Mrs Bright was told she should go to hospital immediately, "but because Jeff had been on a 12-hour night shift I convinced him to have some sleep." Jeff said medical staff began doing blood tests and asking questions.
"They realised she's in big trouble here," he said.
Mrs Bright, who remembered none of her initial time in hospital, had blood poisoning from a septic haematoma in her leg.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter was dispatched and Mrs Bright was rushed to Wellington Hospital on March 22, just early enough for her to keep her leg.
"It was very serious," Mr Bright said.
"They diagnosed septicaemia and from what I can gather they were actually ready to operate on the flight."
Mrs Bright was still conscious at that point, but wouldn't remember any of it.
"I don't think she was in a panicked state," Mr Bright said.
"On the medical side, the hospital would have had to make a call - save her life and take her leg off. Talking to the surgeon in Wellington, he said they wanted to save her leg but they could've taken the leg off."
It was a close call, but Mrs Bright woke up with both legs, although she still doesn't remember some of her time in Wellington hospital.
"I was in the ICU for three and a half weeks," she said.
She went on to have five surgeries within four weeks.
After her time in Wellington hospital, Life Flight transported Mrs Bright to New Plymouth, where her GP is based.
"He held my hand and told me how good it was to look into my blue eyes as the odds of my surviving my illness was very rare and most likely due to being flown to Wellington."
With no joint in her hip, she now has to use crutches to walk, and may have to for the rest of her life.
"It's a whole change of my life. I had to give up my job that I absolutely loved," said Mrs Bright, who worked for the council and the library.
One of the hardest things was the loss of independence she suffered.
"Just having to rely on other people more - I was fiercely independent, Jeff can testify to that.
"It took me a whole day to dust this lounge when I first started. I still find that difficult. We could have got someone in to help us but I wanted to do it myself."
Mrs Bright said the Life Flight crew were "absolutely marvellous".
"I'm doing this only because of them to let people know that they do provide an awesome service and without them I wouldn't be sitting her talking to you.You don't know when you're going to need them."
The team were "absolutely delighted" to hear back from Mrs Bright when she returned home from hospital.
"They don't get much feedback.
"They drop people off at the hospitals and they hardly ever hear the outcome of that person.
"They really care, they really are dedicated to their jobs.
"We sent some of our wedding photos to them and they were delighted."
Life Flight has been running since 1982, dreamed into existence by a Wellington man named Peter Button. Mr Button rushed to the beach to help on April 10, 1968, when the inter-island ferry Wahine sunk in the Wellington Harbour.
"As 51 people drowned in sight of shore Peter realised a helicopter would have been able to rescue people from the sea," said the Life Flight website.
"On that beach he famously said the words that founded Life Flight, 'There has to be a better way'."
Life Flight marketing and fundraising manager Candy Schroder said Mr Button had a determination to ensure local people received the best possible service they could in a time of crisis.
"We've really retained that essence," Mrs Schroder said.
It cost about $10 million to provide the service, she said, two thirds of which were funded by district health boards and ACC.
"The remaining third has to be met by fundraising.
"That's the same for all rescue services in New Zealand.
"If you're at a critical point in your health and require an air transfer, you don't want to go through the experience only to return home to a bill," she said.
It was important that Life Flight services be free so people had no resistance to calling for help, she said.
"We have fabulous support from our sponsors, we receive loyal support from everyday people in New Zealand."
Mrs Schroder said there were about three Life Flight transfers in Wanganui/Manawatu every week, but nationwide they went out every six hours on average.
"We actually bring the specialist team with us," she said. Life Flight services have a full medical team on call for transfers.
"I don't think any of us would want to be in a position where the service doesn't exist."
Mrs Bright encouraged people to donate to Life Flight, whether or not they had used it before.
"It doesn't have to be a huge amount, it can be $10. Even a gold coin helps."
Information about Life Flight can be found at lifeflight.org.nz