Medical emergencies can develop in an instant for anyone.
Even if someone collapses or has a serious accident a block away from the hospital, the fear, uncertainty, and pressure of the moment can be earth-shattering.
What happens, then, when the same thing happens kilometres away from a hospital, in the remote and sometimes harsh expanse of nature or farmland?
For Paula Johnson, who was bucked off her horse on a birthday expedition that had already taken her across water, through an elk herd, and past grazing cattle, there was no going back. Only up.
Traversing the toughest landscapes Canada has to offer
On the day of her accident, Johnson received timely medical attention because of the maneuverability and resilience of a STARS helicopter and its crew.
STARS’ red helicopter has long been a symbol of rescue and hope in Western Canada’s rugged landscapes. Since 1985, the charity’s specialized air medical crew and pilots have flown to deliver care in every corner of the challenging environment.
Not only do the helicopters reach these areas with confidence, but they do so equipped with an entire arsenal of medical technology that gives even the most remote patient a chance at survival.
Today, Johnson is one of STARS’ VIPs — a Very Important Patient whose name is synonymous with the lifesaving capacity of each STARS aircraft. She is also one of the featured VIPs for the Critical Care on the Air Radiothon, a community-centred initiative that runs April 1st and 2nd to enable more hope in urgent moments.
A makeshift rural landing pad
It was a sunny day when Johnson saddled up her horse for the ride of a lifetime.
A while into the trip, after traversing a collection of landscapes and becoming more and more distant from any city centre, she saw her mare’s ears pinned back.
She knew something was off.
Before Johnson could react, her horse bolted up and down a hill and then, to her horror, began bucking.
“As kids, my dad told us to take our foot out of the stirrup so we wouldn’t get dragged if something ever happened. In that moment, I heard him telling me to do that.”
-Paula Johnson, who was airlifted to hospital by STARS, a charity supported by the Critical Care on the Air Radiothon April 1st and 2nd.
The ensuing events would result in a list of serious conditions, including a brain bleed, a broken collarbone, seven broken ribs on one side, one broken rib on the other, a broken sternum, and a hip hematoma.
The injuries occurred after Johnson freed herself from the horse when she remembered a critical piece of advice she had once received.
“As kids, my dad told us to take our foot out of the stirrup so we wouldn’t get dragged if something ever happened,” she said. “In that moment, I heard him telling me to do that.”
She listened and pulled her foot free, but with the high speeds of the startled horse, she was violently thrown from the animal.
Johnson bounced three times before landing face-first on the ground.
At this juncture, the riding party found itself in a remote location with a critically injured person and no emergency services nearby.
The one stroke of luck that day was that Johnson’s friends had service, so they could call for help.
“It looks so big from the ground, but once I was inside, it felt so small, like the ceiling was right above my head.”
-Paula Johnson, who was saved by a STARS helicopter, an emergency care aircraft supported by fundraisers like the Critical Care on the Air Radiothon April 1st and 2nd.
With minimal options for transport, a local fire department drove up the hill Johnson was thrown onto in a side-by-side, stabilizing the patient while they waited for more help that could handle the situation's remote landscape.
A mere hour later, STARS landed directly beside the spot Johnson landed. It was a phenomenon of emergency medical care that wouldn’t have been possible without STARS.
‘It looks so big from the ground’
Since Johnson is a pharmacy technician at a hospital, she sometimes witnesses STARS operations in progress.
Although her accident was not the first time she had seen the red beacon of hope, the context couldn’t have been more different.
“It looks so big from the ground, but once I was inside, it felt so small, like the ceiling was right above my head,” she said.
The next thing Johnson remembers after spotting STARS is waking up in the hospital recovering from her injuries. The environment had changed from the vast outdoors to the orderliness of a hospital room in a very short amount of time.
‘We get to see the one per cent that are really, really sick’
After a speedy recovery, Johnson returned to the STARS base to give her thanks, which is something that VIPs do each year to reconnect with the teams who play a crucial role in their care.
“It’s amazing that we have people who do this with so much empathy,” said Johnson.
The reunions offer closure to patients, but they also provide the same closure to the flight crews themselves.
Crew members devote their lives to saving people like Johnson in gut-wrenching scenarios, but they usually do not know the outcome of the missions.
It’s easy to imagine, then, how meaningful reunions are.
“We get to see the one per cent that are really, really sick, and you see some pretty miraculous recoveries,” said Ray Rempel, a paramedic with STARS for the past 13 years.
“When a patient walks in the door to say hello to the crew and thanks [us] for the service, that's probably one of the most rewarding days for anybody that works here.”
Although the STARS team’s efforts are often thankless, supporting the charity is one way to show care to crew members who tirelessly work to save lives — no matter where it takes them.
One such opportunity is the Critical Care on the Air Radiothon, which enables STARS teams to continue braving the unknown for the sake of people like Johnson who have limited options in an emergency.