Voice 1
Hello, I’m Ruby Jones.
Voice 2
And I’m Marina Santee. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Ken Hildebrand lay on the ground. The frozen earth dug into his face. His whole body hurt. Ken could feel the air around him getting colder. How would he keep warm? The darkness was like a thick, black blanket. Ken could not see much. And even worse, Ken knew that wild animals were close by - wolves and coyotes. A heavy vehicle lay on his legs. It trapped Ken. And there was no point crying out. No one could hear him. Very few people walked through this part of the mountains. He was not sure how long he could stay alive...
Voice 2
Ken’s story is one of an amazing survival. Ken is fifty-five (55) years old. He lives in a very beautiful part of Canada - the Rocky Mountains. Ken normally works as a teacher. And he is also a paramedic - he is part of a medical team. In his job, he cares for people who have just had an accident of some kind. But, he did not know that one day he would have to use these skills on himself!
Voice 1
Ken liked to hunt animals. He set traps for them in the mountains where he lived. From time to time, he would inspect the traps. He would see if they had captured any animals. To do this, Ken had a special vehicle - an all terrain vehicle, or ATV. An ATV is like a kind of motorcycle. But it has four wheels instead of two. These wheels are large - they prevent the vehicle from falling over easily. Also, the wheels have tyres made of thick, strong rubber. Designers made them this way so that they can travel on any kind of land - rocks, sand or grass. Ken should have been very safe driving around.
Voice 2
However, on the eighth of January 2008, an accident did happen. Ken was inspecting his traps. The traps had captured some animals. So Ken took them out and killed them. Then, he climbed back on to his ATV with the bodies. He drove away, aiming to inspect more of his traps. Suddenly, his ATV hit a rock. Ken flew into the air. He landed hard on the ground. And then, to his surprise, his ATV landed on top of him!
Voice 1
Ken landed face down. However, he was able to move the top half of his body a little bit. He tried to push the ATV off his legs. But he did not have enough power to lift it. Ken stayed still and thought for a minute. This was an emergency. He was a paramedic. He dealt with emergencies in his job. He was also a teacher of emergency survival skills. So, surely he could deal with this situation? He had to think clearly. He had to act like a survivor!
Voice 2
Ken had been prepared for his trip into the mountains. He had a bag full of food, water and medicine. But it had fallen far away from him when he fell! Ken remembers:
Voice 3
“I had everything that I needed. But I just could not reach it.”
Voice 2
Also, he could hear wild animals gathering nearby. Ken landed near the bodies of the dead animals. And the wolves and coyotes could smell them. They were ready to jump at Ken to reach this meat! But Ken was carrying a whistle. He blew into this small metal pipe. The high sound frightened the animals. And they kept their distance. But for how long?
Voice 1
One day and night passed. Then another. And another. Ken was doing all he could to keep his body alive. He dug ice out of the frozen ground for water to drink. He took some meat from the dead animals next to him to eat. At night, the temperature dropped to minus seventeen degrees. Ken remembered about the animals he had trapped. Slowly, he moved his hands to reach for one of them. Then, he managed to cut the animal’s skin from its body. This took a lot of effort! Ken placed the skin under his stomach. He knew that this part of the body loses heat quickly. And he had to keep as warm as possible.
Voice 2
But what about his spirit? How strong was Ken’s will to live? He says:
Voice 3
“I thought of my family and God and that was it - that made me want to survive.”
Voice 2
More time passed. And Ken felt sure he was going to die. He had leg injuries. His body was suffering from lack of food and water. He was also suffering from the effects of extreme cold. He had been in the wild for four days. How much longer could he survive?
Voice 1
A local man was out walking in the mountains. He had never walked in that particular area before. But for some reason, he decided to go there. He found Ken lying under his ATV. And he quickly telephoned for an emergency rescue vehicle. Ken explains:
Voice 3
“There was a reason the man came to that place. He told me that he had this strange feeling that he should walk there - even though he had never been there before.”
Voice 2
Rescuers finally came. And they took Ken to hospital. Some one telephoned Ken’s wife and daughter. They were shocked to hear what had happened. They had been away. So they did not know that Ken was missing. They were very thankful that Ken was still alive!
Voice 1
Ken will need time to recover from this experience. But he firmly believes that his rescue was a miracle from God. Ken’s survival skills were important, but Ken also believes that God led Ken’s rescuer. He thanks God for helping him survive this frightening experience.
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