Exclusive: White Island eruption survivor shares his story | Newshub

I'm doing pretty good you know considering but yeah we've just been doing lots of physio and you know other types of theory to try and get me back to you know my old movement I guess but but yeah I'm doing pretty good it's just good to be home a lot better than being in a hospital room that's for sure there is differently things that are you know I'm quite restricted and doing like you know reaching above my head or you know picking things up off the ground it's quite quite a long way down these days but other than that I'm kind of managing to start to you know put put my clothes on myself and things now and yeah I mean everyday getting a little bit better so things like you know putting your socks on and off you don't really you know think of that to be a very big thing until you can't do it you know and having to have someone else of the air to put your shoes on and offers you know a lot a lot different to what you used to so you know every every day you know you notice I can take my sock off a little bit further or something like that you know it is pretty cool to see that things are slowly getting better it's definitely been a challenge but I guess all that's really gonna do is build character it's a big thing and everything that I'm gonna do you know for the rest of my life is you know I'll be maybe a little bit restricted or you know things because of the eruption and you know it's it's definitely going to you know change the way I will live my life and so you know it's it's a pretty big thing I definitely didn't expect you know the the amount of support that we did get you know it was a lot of a lot of people from all around the world and you know it's it's awesome to see that they took time out of their days to just you know let me know that they're you know there for me or anything like that it was yeah pretty awesome it really helps to kind of keep your keep your spirits up you know it inspires me to going I guess and keep working hard I remember basically everything up until getting to the wharf here in [ __ ] attorney and then from there it was just I guess straight off to the hospital and I don't really remember much after that other than yeah waking up and ICU and whole lot of tubes and stuff you know hanging out my nose and yeah I was I was in a coma for two weeks and then when I when I did actually come out of the coma I was still you know on on a lot of different drugs and things so it wasn't quite the year for the first month but you know it I've got small memories of things that happened in the first few weeks but you know I've got kind of pieced it together I was um in one of the groups that got picked up by one of our boats the Phoenix and I think there was a little over over 20 of us they were all got onto that boat heated straight straight in on that boat and then there was a few few helicopters that went out and picked up people after but yeah I was on it that first boat I kind of knew what I needed to do I guess I knew I needed to you know wash wash the stuff off my face and I just I knew that you know it would only be an hour and a half or so and would be back in at the wharf and so it was just kind of a long trip home just kind of trying to you know stay I guess awake and just constantly reminding myself and had others around me reminding me that you know we were nearly back and it was all gonna be all good of course I was I was frightened a little bit um was a pretty scary thing but you know it kind of all came down to that like fight-or-flight kind of thing you know what you've got to do to you know I guess survive and that was all I was really thinking about doing at the time I've been in touch with a few people that were on the island that day and I had some people in the hospital with me just down the hall and and they stopped in and said hi just before they went back over to America so that was you know pretty awesome to see that you know you know I guess not alone other people going through a similar thing leaving your your room to go down to the gym to do physio or something like that you'd quite often bump into some of the other the other people from from that day and pretty pretty cool to see these other people that have you know been through the same thing that I have and come out you know I'm on top I guess even just being able to you know talk to someone that's you know kind of actually understands what you're talking about and you know it yeah it does make a big difference it's pretty awesome all of the people that were there you know helping they were all doing you know their best to help us and you know we'll all you know be grateful forever for that because without them you know there's a good chance that some of us might not actually be here so yeah definitely definitely going to keep in touch with a lot of people and you know just keep up with other people's progress it's a lot busier these days you know we've got constant appointments and and things that we have to do in terms of my rehabilitation and it does take it take a toll on my my guess you know she's she's constantly and doing all of that but it's I've actually had my my older sister here staying with us as well during lockdown and you know she's been a great help she's been cooking our meals and things like that and you know without here would be would be pretty screwed and of course you know my my dad he's he's been great he's you know with one skin without without all the support that I've had from mom dad and my sister you know I wouldn't be where I am today the way I see it is there's nothing I can do about it other than you know try my hardest to get back to where I was before the eruption and so you know there's no point and I guess looking at it negatively because you know it has opened up you know a lot of opportunities while it has you know shut some down so you know i-i-i-i except I guess you know I I don't I don't um you know I don't have any negative feelings towards you know the Highland or or anyone that was involved that day so yeah everyone just tried to this does send the shivers down your spine a little bit give you the goosebumps but I just can't wait until we can jump in our boat and get out a little closer to you know have a closer look I'm yeah I I don't blame the island I did work quite closely with Hayden and he was actually training me to do a lot of a lot of things I was working with him quite a bit just just in the weeks before the eruption I had just started my inflatable training I'm starting to fear he people to and from the island and he was kind of the one behind that getting me out there and I'm starting to do that so you know I'm so grateful for his help and I guess just very sorry for his family and you very sorry for their loss we had Jacinda came and she she said hi to my family I was a little bit too knocked out to visit to me but I missed out on that one with the give a little we had so many different people from you know all around the world all donating to help with my recovery and that it's just amazing it's you know we would have you know I don't know what we would have done without all that helps so you know thank you so much to everyone who did you know donate and support us and also for your kind messages that you left with your donations you know and once again real real bit of a mood lifter I guess and then you know of course the local community who you know did so much to also help us and my family while we were having a stay in Auckland and while I was in hospital when and then you know close close family close friends and they were all there to you know give us meals and and things while we were up in the hospital and you know once again without them we we we would have been in a pretty tough place thank you so much to everyone who's helped

Channel: Newshub

Views: 369,132

Rating: 4.9524417 out of 5

Keywords: Newshub, Jake, Milbank, Teenager, Tour, Guide, Victim, Victims, White, Island, Eruption, Whakaari, Volcano, New, Zealand, Whakatane, Bay, Of, Plenty, Kiwi, Update, Exclusive, Story, Latest, Health, Medical, Emergency, Natural, Disaster, Lisette, Reymer, TV3, News, 3News, Three, Reporter, Reporting

Id: fiTi5sNsxJI

Length: 8min 59sec (539 seconds)

Published: Fri May 01 2020