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EthanZakeri,eight
FLOWNFROMFIJI
Ethanandhisfamilyhadjustarrived
at anoffshoreislandretreatin Fiji
whenhegotstuckin anunprotected
pool ltertryingtoretrievehisbeach
ball.HismotherMonicadesperately
triedtogethimout,butbythetime
hewasextractedhewasalreadybadly
injured.“Ididn’tseeanybodywith
medicalexperience,andI didn’thave
it,”saysMonica.“Ifeltterri ed.
I thoughtI waslosingmyson.”
Wrappedin a towel,Ethanwas
transferredbyboatandhelicopterto
themainland,wherethehospitalgave
himurgentsurgery.Meanwhile,the
StarshipNationalAirAmbulance
launched a retrieval mission. Ethan’s
life hung in the balance, but the
specialist and highly trained retrieval
teammanagedtostabilisehimandensurehewaswellenoughtomake
thetransfer ightto Auckland.“Ijust
couldn’tbelievetheycametoFijito
rescuemyson.TheStarshipdoctor
said,‘We’regoingtobringhimhome.’
Whenhesaidthat,I knewhewould
besafe.”
Hisparentswereabletoaccompany
Ethanin theAirAmbulance.On
arrivalat Starshiphospital,Ethanwas
in PICUforsixdays,andduetothe
extentofhisinjurieswasin andoutof
Starshipforaboutoneanda halfyears.
Hisparentsaretrulygratefulforthe
StarshipAirAmbulanceandthe
multipleteamsat thenational
children’s hospitalwhohaveplayeda
partin hislongrecovery.“Theysaved
him,” says Monica. “He has got many
years to live because of what they did
for us. It was life-changing. If it wasn’t
forthemhewouldn’tbehere.”collectable plane at New World supermarkets for $3.
“The Starshipdoctorsaid,
‘We’re goingto bringhim home.’
Whenhe saidthat,I knew
he wouldbesafe.”Fast facts about
our Air Ambulance
We travel far and wide
In 2018 the Starship National Air
Ambulance made 183 retrieval
fl ights from around New Zealand.
Kiwi kids need us
From serious complications
with normal childhood illnesses
through to heart conditions,
seizures, meningitis and accidents,
our crew are ready to go at a
moment’s notice.
We rely on your donations
Give once or give monthly — your
support is vital to keep our Air
Ambulance fl ying.