HELENA — A Townsend woman turned Coast Guard helicopter pilot was at the center of a harrowing medevac rescue on September 24, about 45 miles out to sea off the coast of California.
What was supposed to be a tranquil family vacation aboard a cruise ship, from Vancouver to Hawaii, turned into much more than the Jiang family bargained for.
Daniel Jiang, 8, was hoisted from the cruise ship and onto a US Coast Guard helicopter suffering from the onset of appendicitis. His mother and brother were hoisted up next.
Lieutenant Katherine McDonnell, from Townsend, was in the cockpit, hoisting them up 200 feet into the belly of the helicopter.
“We heard from the flight surgeon that they would prefer for the medevac to be as soon as possible. Appendicitis can develop obviously very quickly and it can get worse very quickly,” says McDonnell.
This was McDonnell’s first live hoisting, under conditions that were not optimal. McDonnell and the crew were faced with dense fog that blanketed the cruise ship and surrounding sea.
“We tried to get the boat into a better position and better weather, but the fog seemed to be following us,” says McDonnell.
The crew flew Daniel back to a hospital in Humboldt, California, where he was immediately rushed into emergency surgery.
The crew visited Daniel and his family at the hospital on Wednesday where Daniel was making a full recovery.
“We got to see them yesterday, which was pretty special. I think we don't get a lot of closure with the people that we pick up often ... It was really special to meet Daniel's mom, she was just so grateful and that was like, really, really special,” says McDonnell.
McDonnell wants to give credit where credit is due and says she owes a lot to the support from her home state.
“I definitely want to say a thank you to my family and friends in Montana. I wouldn't be who I am if it wasn't for my village in Montana who has supported me,” says McDonnell.
Despite the hiccup on the trip, the Jiang family is planning to rejoin the cruise ship down in LA.
“And he's doing great. He and his family actually are going to try and go meet up again with the cruise ship and finish. There's another like week left of the cruise. They're going to try and finish it. So, that's pretty cool,” says McDonnell.
