Stories
January 19, 2026
What began as a routine tummy bug quickly became every parent’s nightmare for Ellie and her family.
The night before, Ellie had been vomiting, something that had recently gone around her daycare. By the next morning, she seemed much better, and her mum Emma assumed it had passed. Exhausted from being awake all night, Emma settled Ellie on the couch with her tablet while she tried to rest nearby.
Moments later, everything changed. “I looked over and saw her leg shaking. When I got to her, she was in the middle of a seizure. Her eyes had rolled back, there was foam coming from her mouth, her jaw was locked. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was horrific,” said Emma.
Alone at their isolated Big Bay bach, Emma immediately dialled 111. The emergency dispatcher kept her calm while dispatching the local emergency services. With her husband out mowing the lawns and unreachable, she sent their son running to get him.
The seizure lasted around a minute and a half, the most severe Ellie had ever experienced, and she did not regain consciousness before the fire brigade arrived. Then came a second seizure, twenty-five minutes later. Because she hadn’t woken between them, it was classed as one prolonged seizure, a medical emergency requiring urgent treatment.
Ellie needed to be flown to hospital urgently. The family’s property, with its large flat area down by the beach, provided the perfect landing zone for the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter, which touched down on their front lawn.
“The crew were unbelievable. They took control straight away. I was hysterical, I honestly thought she was going to die. But they were calm, reassuring, and completely focused on saving her.”
Ellie was flown to Middlemore Hospital where she received specialist care. In the weeks that followed, her recovery was slow. Her behaviour changed due to the strain her brain had been under, and her parents lived on high alert, knowing she could experience seizures until around age seven.
With specialist support, daycare training, and emergency medication now on hand, Ellie is back to her lively self, and her family is deeply grateful for the rescue helicopter that reached them when help by road was logistically too far away.
“We can’t thank the rescue helicopter crew enough. Having that resource available and knowing they will come, no matter where you are is priceless. Because of them, Ellie is here today. Through our business, we’ll be donating to make sure this service keeps running. It truly is lifesaving.”
