Broc Higginson

STARS Very Important Patient Broc Higginson stands in front of a STARS H145 air ambulance at the Calgary hangar.

Broc Higginson has no recollection of his trip with STARS or anything else after he passed out while on a family trip. It was only after he awoke from several days in a coma that he learned he had suffered a brain bleed and a seizure from two undiagnosed tumours in his brain.

Thankfully, when he collapsed, his wife Stephanie immediately contacted EMS, which brought him to the local hospital. There the medical staff assessed that he needed immediate medical attention at a major hospital with neurosurgery capabilities, so STARS was dispatched.

During his transit, the STARS medical team provided Higginson with critical care to ensure he remained stable.

“We were really focused on blood pressure, oxygen saturation and ensuring the brain had the adequate amount of CO2,” said Bruce Parsons, the STARS flight nurse on Higginson’s mission. “And in this particular case, speed was of the essence.”

Fortunately, STARS was able to bring Higginson to a major hospital within 25 minutes, where he was treated and began his road to recovery.

Since his mission, Higginson, a father of two and a professional concert promoter, has volunteered his time with STARS to help give back to the community, including sharing his story in the STARS calendar.

“I would never be able to do what I’m going to be doing moving forward if it wasn’t for STARS,” he said. “You just never know when it’s going to happen.”

STARS Very Important Patient Broc Higginson sits in the side door of a STARS H145 air ambulance talking to STARS flight nurse Bruce Parsons at the Calgary hangar.

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