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A birthday celebration at Waimarama almost turned to tragedy for Hawke’s Bay teen Trinity Hutchins.
The good news for her is she has no recollection of the seizure that almost took her life.
Hutchins’ plight hit the headlines in December, as she and mother Anna McGrath battle to get the treatment Trinity needs to deal with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Last Friday was meant to be a chance to forget all that, as McGrath drove Trinity and friends to Waimarama for the weekend.
McGrath and her daughter have been through a lot, but never this.
“She had a pretty major seizure, which I’ve never ever experienced before. It was absolutely terrifying,’’ McGrath said.
“I couldn’t find a pulse and she was turning blue and I was just in a blind panic and so were her young friends that I had with us.
“I remember at one stage she made this horrific noise and her eyes were fixed and she was turning blue and I was ‘oh my God this is it, I’ve lost her’.
Hawke's Bay teen Trinity Hutchins was back in hospital last week. Photo / Supplied.
“I remember just screaming at the top of my lungs. I don’t know whether Shane was there then. I can’t remember but it was terrifying.”
Shane Heaton is the Good Samaritan of this story.
A director at Isaacs Plumbing, Pumping & Electrical, Heaton spotted the distressed group on the outskirts of Waimarama and immediately came to their aid.
Heaton politely declined to be interviewed about his heroics.
“He obviously had some experience with dealing with medical events because he was able to locate a pulse in Trinity and help us keep her safe while she came through the seizure and he was absolutely incredible,’’ McGrath said.
She and Heaton have since exchanged messages and McGrath and her daughter have a bottle of wine to give him if they’re ever able to meet.
“I’ve been talking to her about this incredible man that got her through and was so reassuring and she’s absolutely clueless [about what happened].”
“He’d left by the time the ambulance arrived because it took an hour for them to get out there. By the time it arrived Trinity was sitting up and coherent.’’
Hospital CT and ECG scans later came back clear and, aside from no memory of the incident, Trinity has just been left with headaches.
However, McGrath has been told there’s a likelihood of more seizures in the future.
“It’s hard. It’s unbelievably hard and it’s frightening and it’s a rollercoaster of fear and anger and frustration and a feeling of powerlessness mixed with hopelessness.”
That’s partly why she’s so touched that Heaton lent a hand.
“I’m so glad I managed to locate the man who became our hero, just to say thank you because he just turned up and he was just so calm and so helpful.”
