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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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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STARS Very Important Patient Hudson Blough stands at the top of a ski run at Sunshine Village Ski Resort, talking to volunteer ski patroller and STARS Transport Physician Dr. Paul Tourigny during a photo/video shoot to tell Hudson's care story.

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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STARS Very Important Patient Cindi Long poses for a photo in a field with a side-by-side ATV, similar to the one involved in her accident, in the background.

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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STARS Very Important Patient Dawson Mollenbeck sits on the landing skid of a STARS H145 air ambulance while visiting the STARS Saskatoon base.

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.
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