Man Evacuated From Cruise Ship After Suffering Multiple Strokes Reunites with Coast Guards Who Saved Him

A 72-year-old Wisconsin man who was rushed to hospital after suffering four strokes while on a cruise has been reunited with the two members of the Coast Guard who helped in his time of need.

Greg Tomensky was 10 days into a 35-day excursion across Hawaii and French Polynesia on a Holland America Line ship with his wife Mary Tomensky when he “suddenly collapsed,” after suffering strokes the day before. He was taken to the boat’s ICU to receive treatment, ABC reported.

Dr Realebogo Sebitso, the lead medical officer on the ship told the outlet that Tomensky needed to be taken to a “stroke unit or a stroke center” where he could receive specialized care. He was airlifted off the ship on Feb. 27, and taken to a hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii by two members of the Coast Guard.

At the time, they were 300 miles offshore, ABC17 reported. The Coast Guard took Greg to Queen’s Medical Center.

He and Mary spoke to the men one month after the ordeal during the March 28 episode of Good Morning America and thanked them for flying him to safety.

“I’m very grateful that they got there when they did,” Greg said, with Mary adding that there was “no question” her husband needed the advanced care that they brought him to.

“It’s a very rare opportunity that we get to meet the people we help,” one of the unnamed members of the Coast Guard said.

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Tomensky has since returned to Wisconsin after receiving “life-saving care” at the hospital in Hawaii, per ABC. He is “on the road to recovery and full of gratitude.”

“By combining the skills of our crews and the specialized capabilities of our aircraft, we are able to respond to emergencies across the vast Pacific region,” Lt. Cmdr. John Stockton told ABC17. “Teamwork is critically important for medevacs, which are among the most time-sensitive and high-stakes missions we take on.”