SYLACAUGA, Ala. (WIAT) -- Life Saver, an emergency air medical provider based in Sylacauga, reunited three of its former patients with members of its team Tuesday morning.
The gathering at the hangar on Airport Road provided the former patients with an opportunity to learn more about their medical journeys.
“I really want to say thank you because God used you to save my life,” Aaron McLeod said.
The 72-year-old former patient doesn’t remember how he ended up at UAB Hospital after experiencing a medical emergency in Anniston last March.
“Can I have a hug?” he asked his flight nurse, Jared Pierce. It is the first time the two met in person while McLeod is upright.
“We fly a lot of patients that we never hear the outcome from, so to meet this man and to know how sick he was and to have been able to have been a part of his care is pretty remarkable,” Pierce said.
“We found out they didn’t expect me to make it,” said 73-year-old Mark Parrish, who suffered a heart attack two years ago while visiting his hunting property.
“I’m just happy that his family gets to have him for Christmas and much more holidays," said Tracie Hughey, his flight nurse.
Everyone who enters the Life Saver hanger at the airport in Sylacauga walks by a memorial plaque, which honors the life of Adam Russell and Marc Gann, two Life Saver 4 crew members who lost their lives in a crash on April 2, 2023, while serving others.
Their helicopter crashed near Chelsea, and a paramedic who was hurt in the crash survived.
Air Methods Area Manager Brent Wilson said the loss was hard on the crew.
“We’re a small base of only 15 people, and you spend 24 hours of your day with these people,” Wilson said. “It was really difficult to lose them.”
“I think we’re really making a difference in the lives of others and the community,” Wilson noted.
He said they know there’s inherent risk of danger when they take the job.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the NTSB.