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Climber Regains Consciousness After Surgery
Climber Regains Consciousness After Four Hour Surgery
The climber injured in last night's eruption on Mt Ruapehu has regained consciousness and is talking to his family and friends.
William Pike, 22, an Auckland primary school teacher had his right leg amputated below the knee.
His father Barry Pike said his son was aware of what was going on around him.
"This is a miracle," said Mr Pike.
William Pike is still suffering the affects of hypothermia and has damage to his left leg.
Dr John Bonning, the Waikato Hospital emergency department doctor who treated William at Taumarunui Hospital and then at Waikato said he was "amazed" at William's recovery.
"The fact that he's recovered is a miracle. He has recovered from the worst degree of metabliic derangement that I have ever seen. His body had pretty much shut down and he was so close to death ... literally seconds from death."
Dr Bonning said William's body temperature was 25 to 26 degrees celcius and he was dangerously close to a cardiac arrest.
"For the majority of the night he was a hair breadth away from dying.
"It brought tears to my eyes to see him just now.
"He was so lucky it was just his legs.
"If there'd been any delays in any stage of the processs, he would have been dead. Someone was with him every step of the way," said Dr Bonning.
"I congratulate everybody for what they did - to get him off the mountain, to Taumarunui, To Waikato. A young life with so much potential has not been wasted."
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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