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Mass. boy airlifted off cruise ship after medical emergency
Members of the U.S. Air Force flew to a cruise ship hundreds of miles off the coast of North Carolina to bring a Templeton boy to safety.
A Massachusetts boy was airlifted off a cruise ship after suffering a medical emergency last week.
The emergency occurred on May 4 when Angela Bridges and her family were onboard the Carnival Venezia cruise ship off the coast of North Carolina. Bridges’ son, Aiden, was diagnosed with a ruptured bowel, according to a GoFundMe page set up by the family.
The family is from Templeton, Mass., according to WHDH. Aiden started feeling symptoms when the cruise ship was about 350 miles away from land as it made its way from the Caribbean to New York.
Angela Bridges recalled the scary moments in an interview with ABC News, saying that healthcare professionals onboard told her that “it looks as though he has a perforation in his bowel — the next thing that we need to do immediately is get him off the ship.”
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The 920th Rescue Wing of the Air Force responded. Two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, two HC-130J Combat King II aircraft and two teams of combat rescue officers and pararescuemen flew to the ship’s location to extract Aiden.
“Everyone in the wing mobilized with exceptional speed. By uniting our efforts, we saved crucial time, delivering life-saving assistance six hours ahead of other response teams. Our collective determination and efficiency ensured the successful rescue and transport of the individual in need,” Capt. Dylan Gann, 301st Rescue Squadron pilot, said in a statement.
In order to reach the “remote” location, Air Force members were forced to conduct three air-to-air refuelings using helicopters, the Air Force said. Pararescuemen descended from aircraft onto the ship and then hoisted Aiden and his mother up into a helicopter. He received medical attention as they flew to the nearest hospital.
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“These real-world missions are what our countless hours of training have prepared us for,” 920th Operations Group Commander Lt. Col. John Lowe said in a statement.
After Aiden was safely brought to a hospital, Air Force members flew back to Patrick Space Force Base in Florida. All in all, the Air Force mission took about eight hours and spanned more than 1,000 miles.
“I’ve seen several videos around the internet that people on the ship took of the helicopter evacuation and us getting hoisted up. At the end of one of them, the helicopter was starting to fly away from the ship and people were clapping and cheering. It was so heartwarming to see. It made me cry,” Angela Bridges wrote on the GoFundMe page.
By May 7, Aiden had undergone surgery and was slowly recovering, his mother wrote, adding that he has a long road of recovery.
@marlawhite My sons first cruise and they witness a mesical evacuation off coast of georgia. What an amazing experience. Prayers to the family! @carnival @Carnival Venezia #georgiafootball #carnivalcruise #medicalemergency #airforce #army #airlift #medical #emergency #prayers #carnivalvenezia2024 ♬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89
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