Gravely Ill Child Airlifted from Cruise Ship

Helicopter Airlifts Sick Child From Cruise Ship

Critically ill five year old girl was airlifted Monday night from aboard the cruise ship the Celebrity Mercury, which was about 185 kilometers north of Port Hardy, headed for Alaska.

The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, B.C., dispatched a Cormorant helicopter with members of the 442 Transport and Rescue squadron aboard. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre is operated jointly by the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard.

The child was complaining of severe abdominal pains, and doctors aboard the ship determined she needed emergency surgery. The rescue crew of the Cormorant lowered a paramedic on board to assess the girl’s condition. She was then placed in a basket, along with a nurse, and lifted into the helicopter. The little girl and the ship’s nurse joined the distraught parents aboard the helicopter in a race to get her proper medical attention.

The evacuation took a total of 40 minutes to complete.

“A diagnosis had been made by the doctor on board based on her medical history and present illness before we were to arrive,” said Sgt. Darcy Keating, a search and rescue technician.

It was determined the girl needed surgery within six hours, so when the helicopter reached it’s final destination at Port Hardy, the Rescue Coordination Centre deployed an airplane to conclude this harrowing journey.

This plane was to take it’s passengers to Victoria General Hospital, nearly 500 kilometers south.

The brave little girl is currently in stable condition.