Guyra local Kevin Harman's life has been saved twice in the last four years by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, an experience he says goes to show how invaluable the service is to rural areas.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Turning 84 this month, the retired nurse found himself on the other side of the healthcare equation on April 21, 2020, after an accident at his property on Baldersleigh Road, west of Guyra.
"I was putting a trailer on the car and it wasn't going on properly. I got in the car and jiggled things around, then I got out and, rather sillily, left it in gear," Mr Harman said.
"The car took off and I took off after it, tried to get in to stop it, but the door of the car hit the shed, then the door hit me and knocked me down on the ground and the trailer went over the top of me."
Having lost his phone in the chaos and in too much pain to move, all Mr Harman could do was shout for help and pray for someone to hear him.
"I sat there and I just couldn't get up. I kept yelling out 'help' and thankfully two of my next-door neighbours heard me and eventually found me," he said.
Mr Harman was taken to Guyra hospital where doctors found he had a collapsed lung and nine broken ribs.
His lungs required more specialist work than the rural multipurpose could provide, so the Wetpac chopper came to transfer him to John Hunter hospital in Newcastle.
"A level 5 ambo from Armidale got there first and he put a needle in to inflate the lung, but then the doctor said it needed a bigger hole so they plunged a bigger needle in, then they loaded me on to the helicopter," Mr Harman said.
READ ALSO:
After surgery, the retiree was closely monitored for seven days and was transferred back up to Armidale hospital another five days later.
"I was fairly well expecting to die while in hospital. There was a nurse who saw me in Armidale afterwards and she said she was at Guyra when I came in and told me it was quite confronting," Mr Harman said.
"If the helicopter wasn't there, I wouldn't be here."
The second rescue occurred years later, when an internal rupture caused Mr Harman to suffer a massive amount of internal bleeding.
Thankfully, he says, he learned from his first incident, and was wearing his personal medical alarm almost as soon as he felt something was wrong.
Despite quickly making it to Armidale hospital, doctors couldn't work out the cause of the bleeding.
"Next thing I know the chopper's medics arrived, took me over to Armidale airport, and took me Tamworth, and I was down there for about a fortnight," Mr Harman said.
The Guyra local had suffered a perforated bowel, but thanks to a quick surgery and multiple bags of blood, he survived to tell the tale yet again.
Today, Mr Harman continues to advocate for the service that came to his rescue, reiterating the importance of supporting this vital organisation.
"Before I was taken on the helicopter I always thought it would never happen to me," he said.
"Anybody that thinks they're never going to use it, you never know. Anytime you can donate, even a small amount, it might come back to save your life someday."
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News