I saved a life, today … With some help from Jon Knight, BSVFD, Casey of the USFS, PV Station, an amazing CHP helicopter pilot i think named Joe, a CHP paramedic, Danny, and a CHP patrol officer, whose name I didn’t catch. I have photos of the helicopter landing which I will upload.

There are so many technological things I am thankful for, but today it was my iPhone and my iPad. I was able to give them my GPS coordinates because of the compass app I have on my iPad – didn’t know my address, which is meaningless anyway, but had my GPS coordinates! And with the iPhone and cellular booster, I was able to talk to the helicopter pilot before he took off to tell him where the evac needed to take place. Thank you Steve Jobs.

I am pretty exhausted, so more tomorrow – plus one who wasn’t saved but passed on at age 78. The life I saved will be 51 tomorrow.

bigsurkate

Appointed appellate counsel for indigent defendants (retired.) I have lived in Big Sur since 1984, first on the north coast, and on the South Coast since 1989.

View Comments

  • How odd, & wonderful: at my library today, the empathy of one of our homeless regulars, who alerted me to another patron in medical crisis + my iPhone, with GPS coordinates + quick response from EMTs=at least a chance that the 51 yr old suffering a stroke &/or cardiac event survived. Not such a challenge as your situation, & not so demanding of clarity of mind, but a reminder that technology well used can be lifesaving. Well done, Kate. Rest.

    • Yes, odd in that we were both dealing with 51 year-olds. I don't know exactly what he was suffering from. Thank you, Leslie. I am resting and going to sleep soon, I hope.

      bigsurkate, on a mountain top in Big Sur

    • Not a hero, just helping a friend, who was in need. I should have helped before he got desperate.

      bigsurkate, on a mountain top in Big Sur

  • Excellent, Kate. Well done. And happy birthday to the man you saved. Celebrate it too, along with him.

  • Patient is not doing well. He was transferred from Mee Memorial to Natividad, and finally to Stanford.

  • My best wishes for the patient. Do you guys down in Big Sur purchase special medivac chopper insurance? I was told recently that it can exceed $20K in one pop and is not covered under standard health insurance plans. I'm not sure how true that is.

    • One can purchase insurance for $25/ year for Cal-Star. Some purchase it, some don't. In this case, it was the CHP helicopter and medic, not Cal-Star.

      The patient is in ICU in Stanford, unsure if he will make it, at this point.

      bigsurkate, on a mountain top in Big Sur

Recent Posts

Big Sur Information

Introduction to Big Sur information.

2 hours ago

Big Sur Winter Preparedness & South Coast Zoom Meeting 11/19 info

Please see the message below from Supervisor Kate Daniels. It includes a comprehensive list of…

2 hours ago

Big Sur Fire Survey

For more than 50 years, Big Sur Fire's volunteer firefighters have answered the call for…

4 hours ago

Veteran’s Day, 2026

Dear Ms. Novoa,On this Veterans Day, we proudly celebrate the extraordinary women and men who have…

24 hours ago

Get Ready for El Niño 2026

This is the current list of Winter Storm Town Hall Meetings. Also, at the last…

3 days ago

This website uses cookies.