STARS Stories/Patient Stories

Our STARS Patients

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.

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Brynleigh Yewsuk

When she was only three years old, Brynleigh suffered severe head trauma after a piece of farm equipment fell on her. The STARS crew cared for her en route to a major hospital, where she received the life-saving treatment she needed.

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STARS Very Important Patient Brynleigh Yewsuk stands in front of a large window during a photoshoot for the 2025 STARS Calendar.

Marie Somerville

Marie Somerville was an aspiring barrel racer, spending countless hours practising and competing. One day when practising for competition, her horse fell, leading her to severe whiplash and trauma to her brainstem and spinal cord. STARS was dispatched to provide critical care and take her to the nearest major hospital.

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STARS Very Important Patient Marie Somerville poses along a railing at the college she attends during a photoshoot for the 2025 STARS Calendar.

Maureen Schnirer

After a rural motor vehicle incident left Maureen Schnirer critically injured, STARS transported her to an urban centre for life-saving surgery. She has fully recovered, married her longtime partner Ken, and built a life on a ranch, raising two kids.

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STARS Very Important Patient Maureen Schnirer poses with her husband, son, and daughter and their horse on their property during a photoshoot for the 2025 STARS Calendar.

Owen Ashworth

Since 2013, STARS has been called into Owen’s life twice. The first time was just before he started his final year of high school when he suffered a brain injury in a motorbike accident. The second time was in 2021 when he sustained another brain injury in a collision with a semi-truck.

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STARS Very Important Patient Owen Ashworth stands in front of a STARS Air Ambulance in Regina during a photoshoot for the 2025 STARS Calendar.

Ryan Herchuk

At 12, Ryan Herchuk was hit by a vehicle while riding an all-terrain vehicle. By chance, an off-duty STARS flight paramedic came upon the accident scene. STARS transported Ryan to the University of Alberta Hospital, where he recovered after being in a coma for two months.

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STARS Very Important Patient Ryan Herchuk stands in a field on a winter afternoon, looking to the distance, during a photoshoot for the 2025 STARS Calendar.
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