Something profound happened in-between trails on the south island of New Zealand. I had just completed backpacking the absolutely stunning length of the Abel Tasman route with my British outdoor buddy. We found ourselves having lunch in a small town while waiting for a transit bus en route to begin the Heaphy Track. Leisurely laughing while browsing our camera images for shots of nature and playful wildlife encountered all was flowing as a normal adventure vacation. Departing the cafe we chatted while walking towards our bus stop early when I noticed a small passenger vehicle parked awkwardly on the sidewalk not far in front of us. Something suddenly felt pressing and I ran towards it where I saw an elderly man laid back in the passenger seat unconscious, his wife beside him behind the wheel calling his name and nudging him.
A young couple of passerby moved with concern to help yet fumbled through their uncertainty of not knowing what to do. As I came up alongside I tossed my backpack to the ground announcing that I was first aid trained and could help. I had never used my training on this level before though I knew it by heart having recertified with the Red Cross a few months prior. From somewhere within a subtle inner strength emerged and I look leadership to organize emergency care. I had others help pull this man from the car and laid him out on the ground aligning his body for CPR. I began compressions in earnest while instructing others to search for an AED as I learned he had a heart attack and that machine could help start his heart beating again. A rural medical response team was mobilizing as quickly as they could yet the 15-20 minutes I worked on him in waiting was draining physically as ideally rotations of helpers are needed each few minutes. I had my friend bring my backpacking sleep mat for under my knees to pad hard pavement.
I was the only option as the sole individual there trained and kept my rhythm as steady and consistent as able. I could see hopeful worry on his wife’s face and in the wringing of her hands. While I sensed that he might not pull through, and perhaps had already gone, I was determined to give every bit of strength and willpower to proving that wrong. For her sake and all those present a sense of closure could only come if every effort was made. When the ambulance arrived I was at last relieved and commended on my handling of the situation. I then turned to stand beside the spouse holding her hand as the lead paramedic verbally let her down slowly as they tried all they could to revive him. He didn’t make it. There I was, a lone American on a hiking adventure trip among a group of unknown Kiwis, medical teams, concerned public, British buddy and a calmly stoic woman who had just been told her life partner of decades had passed away. Time stood still, it does even now in the retelling for me as the interconnectedness of life brought us strangers together in unplanned ways. I did all I could to bring him back and as I hugged his wife close in parting I knew everything had played out as it was meant to. Just as swiftly as I entered into their lives I gathered up my gear and walked down the road to meet my bus to begin hiking a new path. In the tent that night my friend held me and patted my back as I wept until drifting off into a deep sleep.
A sense of universal intervention and the shared grief we have when someone we care about, even a passing stranger met while traveling loses a person they love stayed with me for months following. We leave small impressions of ourselves when traveling, like little shadows moving through a place. I feel immense gratitude that I was brought there that day with both the training and spontaneous courage to respond when others could not. We are all given gifts and abilities, I learned that day something new of my deeper inner strength which I was able to give to another in their time of need and that feels like a miracle no matter the final outcome. May the time that has passed since have healed that family’s heartache and may all travelers train in First Aid and CPR.
About the Author: Anjuli Waybright is a global adventure traveler, photographer and positive thinker who loves getting outdoors and exploring. What she loves most is encouraging others to go and do it to!
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