Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter carries out life-saving hospital transfer for teenager

14-year-old Hamish, pictured with his mother Jayney, was saved by the quick response of the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew, who gave him a life-saving hospital transfer.

Summertime is just around the corner for New Zealand, which means warm weather, beach trips and outdoor activities for the family to enjoy.

Although this is a special time of year for everybody, unfortunately, this also comes with added risks and an increase in missions for your rescue helicopter - especially in the Coromandel/Bay of Plenty region, where the frequency of missions increases by 40 per cent in the summer.

During the summer of 2021/2022, Hamish, a 14-year-old from Cambridge, leapt at the chance to go on a school diving trip with his peers to the stunning Coromandel Coast.

What appeared to be a fantastic opportunity for Hamish to improve his diving abilities rapidly took a turn and almost changed the course of his life forever. Fortunately, with the quick response of his family and the incredible skills of the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew, who gave him a life-saving hospital transfer, Hamish will now be looking forward to spending another summer with his family this year.

“Without this, we dread to think what may have happened, or what the permanent implications for his future would have been,” says Hamish’s relieved mum, Jayney.

In January of this year, Hamish was to complete his final two dives for the school diving trip. Hamish and his friend were diving at a depth of 15 metres when Hamish saw air leaking from his friend’s regulator and noticed he had become agitated and was rising to the surface. Hamish, who was trying to calm his friend, had to decide whether to ascend quickly with him or to follow dive protocol by making a “decompression safety stop” to allow his body to release the nitrogen that accumulates in an underwater environment.

Hamish quickly decided to skip the safety stop at the 3-metre depth and ascend with his friend.

Hamish remembers feeling okay that afternoon, but it wasn’t until that evening when things started to take a turn. Jayney noticed he was staggering down the street as he was walking towards her. When Hamish got home, he said he was exhausted from the trip and went straight to bed. Jayney, growing more concerned about Hamish, made sure to monitor him with a pulse oximeter throughout the night. His pulse read 130 beats per minute - clearly not a resting heart rate.

She also noticed he was developing a purple rash on his lower back, which she later learned was a “skin bend” (where nitrogen is trapped under the skin); they were soon to find out that Hamish was suffering from a “decompression injury”.

Hamish was taken to Waikato Hospital’s ICU, then required an urgent transfer to North Shore Hospital before being moved onto Devonport’s naval base in order to make use of its decompression chamber. This transfer was done by the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter – but this was no ordinary airlift. Knowing the condition Hamish was in, the crew decided to fly at a lower altitude than normal to avoid worsening his condition. It was a life-saving decision.

“The rescue helicopter cut hours off Hamish’s transit, which would have most likely resulted in a very different outcome,” Jayney said of the experience.

Hamish had a seven-hour initial emergency decompression session inside the chamber at an underwater depth equivalent of 18 metres, allowing his body to eliminate nitrogen. This crucial treatment saved him from paralysis (or worse).

Hamish is now back to school and doing all the things high school kids do. The family are so thankful to have had access to the time-critical flight of the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter that day, and so grateful for the generous donors who keep this amazing service in the air.

These coming summer months are going to be busier than ever for your rescue helicopter, and while we know that many of you are looking forward to a well-earned break, your rescue helicopter will continue to operate 24/7 throughout the entire holiday season so you and your loved ones can rest assured knowing they will be there for you if you need them.

Help keep this life-saving service available to your family and friends all summer - donate today at https://give.rescue.org.nz/.