Amazing water rescue saves a boy’s life
Published: August 25, 2005
A boy who crashed his head into a lake bottom is making a complete recovery thanks to Amy and Greg Gubser, who were nearby to lend a hand. The Surf Camp Pacifica directors, experienced water rescuers, proved their skills could make the difference between life and death or permanent paralysis.
Nathaniel Thorn, 15, a camper at Hume Lake Christian Camp near King’s Canyon, took a dive into too-shallow water on Wednesday, Aug. 3. Hitting his head on the bottom, he rose, but awkwardly fell back down again. The extent of his injuries was not visually apparent, but it would soon be discovered his neck was shattered. In fact, if a fractured bone had moved just one millimeter, it would have completely shut off his respiratory drive, which would made it impossible for him to breath.
Greg and Amy Gubser were nearby with their children, Justin and Holly, at another camp, the Diabetic Youth Foundation Camp. Experienced water rescuers, Amy and Greg knew exactly what to do. While a fellow camper rushed into the water and made efforts to return Thorn to shore, Greg ran toward the scene and instantly determined another course of action would be better. His first concern was to keep the boy in the water. When he and Amy reached Thorn, Amy kept Thorn calm and told him to stay still and told him to ignore the pleadings from his friend to get out of the water.
“I’d rather treat hypothermia than a quadriplegic, Greg said. “It was really surreal. I knew exactly what to do. There was no emergency panic in any sense. There was a calm on the beach. There were 300 people there. Everyone followed instructions really well. We dictated what we wanted done and how we wanted to do it.
They stabilized Thorn’s shoulders on the beach, kept his neck completely still and suspended the rest of his body in perfect alignment in the water.
Once Thorn was stabilized, Greg drove off to get help. There was no cell phone service at the remote lake. Greg returned with three emergency medical technicians who had a backboard and the same rescue training as him, but they were unfamiliar with the technique of backboarding a patient in the water.
“It was easier to put him on a backboard in the water, Greg said. Had the Gubsers not been there, less experienced rescuers may have used less effective means to stabilize Thorn.
“If my husband didn’t orchestrate the rescue, he wouldn’t have survived or he would have been paralyzed, Amy said. “If we had moved him out of the water, he would have been paralyzed. We are trained for this. We do these exact rescue techniques with our surf camp instructors all the time. It’s rewarding to know that if you do the right thing at the right time, it can have a good outcome.
The Gubsers received a call the next day from the nurse at the Christian camp thanking them for saving Thorn’s life.
After receiving treatment at a Fresno hospital for a few days, Thorn flew by helicopter to a Bay Area hospital that could best care for him. Amy knew it would either be Stanford or UCSF, where she works as a registered nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit. She was delighted Thorn was placed in her unit so she could keep track of his progress and help his parents who did not witness the accident understand what happened.
“When I saw his mom, I started crying. It’s so emotional. We were able to answer all the questions they had about the accident and how he was saved, because they had no idea, Amy said. The Thorn family lives in Fairfield.
At UCSF, doctors repaired what they could of Thorn’s shattered bones and placed an artificial disc in his neck.
“This was an example of how the artificial disc can work. After the accident, his body was numb but he was able to move. Once they replaced the disc, he regained all the functions, Amy said.
The neurosurgeon who worked on Thorn is one of the leading experts in the world on artificial disc replacement. He, too, was amazed the Gubsers had the knowledge and foresight to keep the patient in the correct position during rescue.
Greg teaches this very same water search and rescue technique to fire department personnel throughout the Bay Area. Now, with the family’s permission, he has Thorn’s X-rays to tote around and use as an example of the sort of terrible injury that can occur. He will explain how the rescue technique can be used to maximize a patient’s chances for survival and recovery.
Thorn made a complete recovery and walked out of the hospital last Thursday, Aug. 11. Amy couldn’t help but emphasize the word “walk when she retold this incredible story.
“It’s amazing. Now he’s going to play baseball and be a helicopter pilot. He’s a very active boy. It’s just great, Amy said.
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