Bonnie continues on the telephone and now has a patch through to the coast guard hovercraft. Once more the telephone is handed to me. A man identifies himself as the captain of the coast guard vessel and asks me if I was wearing a life jacket. I tell him, “No,” and he marvels at the fact that I am alive and states that he looks forward to seeing me.
Before I know it, the ambulance arrives and medical attendants Brent and Bev take over. Very carefully these professionals assess my condition and begin to plan a transfer to the coast guard hovercraft now en route to Miners Bay to pick me up. I overhear much of their telephone conversation as they relay my vital statistics — blood pressure, heart rate and body temperature. I am astonished at my temperature — 30° Celsius, 86° Fahrenheit. That is 6° Celsius and almost 12° Fahrenheit below normal! Fatal cardiac arrests occur at 31° Celsius and lower. It is no wonder there is concern about my heart!
Both Brent and Bev continue to ask me questions regarding chest pain. I hear Brent on the telephone speaking to someone of the incredulousness of the ordeal I had come through, and in a sense of almost admiration he added, “Yeah, but you should see the great shape the guy is in.” Funny, I wasn’t feeling very fit at the moment.
Once assured that my vital statistics are stabilized, they begin my transfer to the hovercraft. Carefully I am lifted onto an ambulatory chair and strapped into place. Finally, although still very hypothermic and shaking like a leaf, I am laying down in an ambulance on my way — a lumpy, bumpy way — to the dock.
Upon arrival at Miners Bay, there is a bustle of activity, a quick transfer of stretchers, and the elite corps of Canadian Coast Guard professionals take me into their care. A smiling face introduces himself as Dan. As Dan quickly assesses the situation, he pats my thigh, looks up into my face and says, “A lot of divine intervention just happened on your behalf.” Leaning toward my face, he sighs, shaking his head and continues, in a whispered tone, “A great many prayers have been uttered for you.”
As I stare up into the night sky listening to these men labor over my care, the gurney slid on board. We pause momentarily at the entrance as the captain, who is watching from an upper rail says, “I can’t tell you how happy I am to welcome you on board . . . Welcome on board.” With that I slide into the bowels of the hovercraft and I am on my way home.
“Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. When I said, My foot slippeth. . . . For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted. . . . The Lord hath chastened me sore: but He hath not given me over unto death” (Psalm 94:17-18; 116:8-10; 118:1817Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence. 18When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. (Psalm 94:17‑18)
8For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. 9I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted: (Psalm 116:8‑10)
18The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. (Psalm 118:18)).