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Very Important Patients

Collage of black and white photographs showing various people in different settings including workspaces, casual environments, and portrait shots

It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter where you are. If you need critical care, our mission is to be there for you in whatever capacity we can help. Every one of our VIPs — Very Important Patients — has a unique story of how STARS was their best hope in a worst-case scenario. We are honoured to share some of their inspirational stories here.

If you are one of our VIPs and would like to meet your crew or share your story, please email us at vip@​stars.​ca.

STARS Very Important Patient Thomas Wright stands in front of a STARS air ambulance helicopter alongside the STARS crew that worked on his mission.

Thomas Wright

Deep inside a dense forest, Thomas Wright and another dirtbike rider hit each other head-on, resulting in Thomas’s pelvis completely snapping in two. STARS landed in a clearing nearby to provide critical care and rapid transport to the nearest trauma centre.

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STARS Very Important Patient Dennis Blackburn photographed inside a STARS hangar while a STARS air ambulance helicopter hovers in the background before taking off on a mission on a blue sky day.

Dennis Blackburn

When Dennis Blackburn hit the turf, he looked up and saw that the tractor he’d just fallen from was tumbling downhill toward him. He couldn’t scramble out of the way soon enough, and soon STARS was flying to his side in the hilly countryside.

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STARS Very Important Patient Trevor Mills sits in the side door of a STARS air ambulance helicopter during a photoshoot at his closest STARS base.

Trevor Mills

Trevor Mills saw a car crash down a mountain ravine, and he ran to help the driver. Finding the vehicle sliding on a shale slope, he pulled the driver to safety — and then the car tumbled over top of him, resulting in a call to STARS.

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STARS Very Important Patient Dominque Wiebe sits on the side landing skid a STARS air ambulance helicopter during a visit to her closest STARS base.

Dominique Wiebe

Dominique Wiebe was driving to work when her car was hit by two separate pickup trucks. STARS responded, providing critical care and rapid transport in one of her most vulnerable moments.

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Young child smiling at a lemonade stand with a yellow pitcher and colorful fruit-patterned tablecloth against a red background.

Alexis Moore

When she was just four years old, Alexis Moore fell head-first from a swing set, losing consciousness and prompting her local hospital to call STARS. Her parents watched STARS fly away with her, but when they reunited at the trauma centre, she was singing to staff.

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Artist, writer, and STARS Very Important Patient Shelly Campbell holds her artwork titled Golden Hour in front of a STARS air ambulance helicopter during a visit to her closest STARS base. The artwork was commissioned by STARS for inclusion in the 2027 STARS Calendar.

Shelly Campbell

When Shelly Campbell saw that STARS was looking for original commissioned art, she leapt out of her chair. Her experience as a STARS Very Important Patient years earlier had long been an inspiration for her golden-hour approach to painting.

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Two skiers stand on a snowy mountain slope wearing winter gear and helmets, with snow-covered evergreen trees visible on the right and a scenic valley landscape in the background.

Hudson Blough

When Hudson Blough hit a tree headfirst at Banff Sunshine Ski Village, ski patrollers called STARS. A STARS transport physician already at the hill intubated Hudson before the helicopter arrived. Hudson survived and made a full recovery, crediting collaboration, teamwork, and skill for his positive outcome.

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Person wearing glasses and patterned cardigan standing in a vast green field with a utility vehicle in the background under a blue sky.

Cindi Long

Cindi Long doesn't know what caused her side-by-side to flip while she was carrying a newborn calf to its mom, but when she found herself pinned under the off-road vehicle's roll cage, in searing pain and unable to feel her legs, she knew she needed STARS — even before other help suddenly arrived from the air.

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Person in black shirt sitting in front of red fire truck with white lettering and stripes

Dawson Mollenbeck

Following a workplace explosion, Dawson Mollenbeck suffered severe traumatic injuries to his arm, head, and spine. STARS was dispatched, providing critical care en route from his local rural hospital to a trauma centre in the city.

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Young child in gray jacket and black gloves holding a hockey stick on an ice rink, smiling at the camera with a red goal and boards visible in the background.

Beckham Koscielny

When Beckham Koscielny was only six weeks old, he became a STARS Very Important Patient after falling seriously ill due to a heart condition. With the aid of STARS’ critical care team, he was transported from his rural community to a major hospital.

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Person in blue hoodie sitting on olive green couch holding a prosthetic hand, with window and shelving visible in bright interior room

Zach MacDonald

In November 2010, Zach MacDonald fell critically ill just after his second birthday. What began as a fever quickly escalated to a life-threatening condition, requiring rapid transport by STARS. Diagnosed with a serious infection, Zach spent seven days in intensive care.

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Family of four posing together on a purple couch in a playroom filled with toys, shelves, and storage containers in the background.

Shalyn Huehn

In 2011, Shalyn’s life was forever changed by a head-on collision. Her car was so severely damaged that it took two hours for her to be freed from the wreckage. Today, Shalyn lives an active lifestyle with her family.

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