Some moments in life unfold so precisely that you can’t help but believe in miracles, connecting the right people, in the right place, at the exact moment they are needed. The extraordinary chain of events that took place on August 2^nd, 2025, is the reason 30-year-old Mauricio Garcia is alive to tell his story today.

Mauricio was visiting from Calgary, on a houseboating trip with family and friends in the Shuswap when someone fell overboard. Without hesitation, he jumped in to help. Moments later, he was being pulled into the propeller. All he remembered was a crowd standing over him, his body feeling cold, and then darkness. What happened next was a cascade of miracles.

The people on the boat reached him within seconds, but his injuries were overwhelming. His brother-in-law, a trained medical first responder (MFR), applied a tourniquet to Mauricio’s nearly severed arm and directed others to help to manage his wounds during the nearly 45-minute race back to shore. A nurse from a nearby pontoon boat leapt aboard to assist. Alerted to the emergency, staff at the marina sent a fully stocked first-aid kit by jet ski. The journey felt endless but when they finally reached the dock, fate had another miracle waiting.

Standing on the dock was the Benson family, complete strangers but exactly who he needed. Lorraine, an operating-room nurse who would be involved in his care again when he returned home, and her two physician daughters, including Anesthesiologist, Dr. Brittany Benson, who would later care for him at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH). Immediately, they were at Mauricio’s side, starting IV fluids, supporting his airway, and helping control the blood loss. Their interventions bridged the gap until paramedics and the critical care transport team arrived.

Everywhere Mauricio turned, another person with precisely the right knowledge and skill appeared.

Mauricio was flown by helicopter to Royal Inland Hospital, where the trauma team was prepared and waiting. The propeller had severed his dominant arm and sliced through his torso, causing catastrophic injuries to his diaphragm, liver, gallbladder, appendix, and bowels. He was rushed into the operating room where Vascular Surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey Grab, made a decision that saved Mauricio’s life, choosing life over limb.

“Performing the life-saving vascular surgery during Mauricio’s trauma was only one part of a coordinated and team-based effort,” Dr. Grab elaborates. “General Surgeons Dr. Baughan and Dr. Afford brought their own critical expertise to the table, and together we were able to pull Mauricio through severe injuries that very few patients survive.”

Family from Calgary to Mexico rushed to be by his side. Just after his wife Humbeline arrived, Mauricio emerged from the operating room, a version of him she barely recognized. Surrounded by machines and monitors, fighting for his life, Humbeline held one small part of his hand and didn’t let go for days. “The hospital staff never once asked me to move or made me feel like I was in the way,” she says. “Their kindness made me feel human. That meant everything.”

Mauricio spent nearly a month at RIH: three weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) and another in the trauma unit before being transferred to Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary. He endured multiple surgeries, countless interventions, and witnessed the boundless compassion and expertise of every person involved in his care.

Trauma Nurse Coordinator, Brad Stroich, explains “Mauricio’s story and treatment journey exemplify how complex trauma care is and highlights the amazing team of health care professionals we have at RIH and in our region. Patient centered trauma care is a collaborative effort that includes the entire spectrum of our care team from nurses and physicians, to care aides, pharmacists, and the entire team of therapists in Allied Health. Each person contributes their expertise to injury care and are instrumental in supporting positive health experiences for our community and patients like Mauricio.”

“To know there are people out there with that depth of knowledge and willingness to go far beyond what is expected, just shows how much heart they put into what they do. I can’t express my appreciation enough,” says Humbeline.