Witchdoctor looks after woman on Kokoda

Antipodean Andy · Aug 13, 2008

Shades of Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels.

Witchdoctor guards Debra Paver on jungle track | NEWS.com.au

A MELBOURNE woman was guarded by a witchdoctor as she fought for life during a nightmare expedition along the Kokoda Track.

A mercy dash by a US Navy helicopter saved lawyer Debra Paver's life, plucking her from the remote jungle as she suffered seizures and slipped in and out of consciousness.

Ms Paver, 44, had been hiking the legendary track in Papua New Guinea to raise money for charity as part of a Kokoda Spirit tour.

The track, which has become a pilgrimage for Australians to honour World War II troops, took its toll on the fit Brighton East resident, whose sodium levels plummeted last Friday.

Ms Paver was taken to Alola village where she suffered seizures and dipped in and out of consciousness under the watch of a tribe's witchdoctor.

But a plea for help from the Australian embassy to its US counterparts in PNG led to a timely rescue mission.

The USNS Mercy, an American hospital ship in the region, came to the rescue.

In difficult conditions, a Knighthawk helicopter sent from the ship made several attempts to land on a small patch of land in a dense fog bank 1800m up the Owen Stanley mountain range.

The USNS Mercy's medical operations director, Peter Linz, said Ms Paver was awake but incoherent when they arrived.

Within 24 hours, after being put on a respirator, her condition had improved from critical to stable.

The ship's captain, Bob Wiley, wrote on a blog that Ms Paver was suffering from hyponatremia, or low sodium levels, and had been in a coma for more than a day before being rescued.

When she woke she could not believe she was on an American naval ship and had to be shown a photograph of the vessel, he wrote.

In a statement released from the ship, Ms Paver said: "I am feeling a bit better."

She has been joined on the ship by her mother, Margaret, and her 17-year-old daughter, Kate.

Her brother, Gary, said his sister owed her life to those who rescued her.

"We were very lucky. I think if that helicopter wasn't there, things would have been a lot worse," he said.

"She would have been in a lot of trouble. We can't thank the US Navy enough."

Ms Paver's boss, Elizabeth Harris, of law firm Harris Cost Lawyers, said the effervescent solicitor had been in training for months to complete the trek for charity.

"This really wasn't a thrill-seeking thing," Ms Harris said.

She had trained for months and was aware of the potential health issues, Ms Harris said.

Ms Paver is expected to return home with her family by the weekend.
Click to expand...

Kyt · Aug 13, 2008

If it was hyponatremia then it sounds like she drank too much water without taking salt tablets. Many a serviceman during the war was warned about not taking their salt tablets

Log in or Sign up

Witchdoctor looks after woman on Kokoda

Antipodean Andy New Member

Kyt Άρης

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Witchdoctor looks after woman on Kokoda

Thread Tools

Antipodean Andy New Member

Kyt Άρης

Share This Page

Useful Searches