Ms Butler remembers the brutal attack that required her hands to be reattached and the paramedic wheeling her to the Auckland Westpac Rescue helicopter.
"My hand was partially severed but it was held together by a piece of skin and my left thumb was also severed, my right hand was chopped in half vertically and then off at the forearm and off at the elbow - it was a mess."
She also had deep cuts on her neck and shoulders - the area Dixon was targeting before she defended herself with her arms.
Dixon's P-fuelled rampage lasted 11 hours and resulted in his attack on Ms Butler and her childhood friend Renee Gambie, the death of James Te Aute and the kidnap of another man.
"Both of us (Ms Butler and Ms Gambie) could have died, but the first responders actions kept us alive. When the first responders got there we didn't know if he was still around."
Although Ms Butler has met the medical and police staff involved in her attack and recovery, yesterday was the first time she had met anyone from the rescue helicopter.
Yesterday was the inaugural Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter reunion at the Mechanics Bay base. Close to 40 past victims, patients and their friends and families gathered to thank the pilots, paramedics and support staff who helped them in their times of need.
"I want to hug each and every one of them," said Ms Butler.
Among the dozens who attended was 85-year-old Stewart Rundle, who spent hours trapped on the cliff below his Castor Bay home when he slipped 30m while gardening in January.
Mr Rundle's arm was pinned under a rock but he managed to reach his mobile phone to call for help.
Also in attendance was Waiuku man Murray Jamieson, who was rescued in 1985 when the car he was working beneath fell on him.
