Keith Brady is openly emotional as he recounts his healthy journey following lifesaving flights in Northland Rescue Helicopters in 2009 due to cardiac arrest and again in 2022 for a completely different reason.
Sitting down in the lunchroom at Northland Rescue Helicopter base in Whangārei, Keith is surrounded by his wife Sandra, children Joseph and Anna, along with several Northern Rescue Helicopter Pilots and Paramedics.
As Keith tells his story, he also sits alongside Paramedic Dan Dempsey who accompanied him on the 2022 flight from Whangārei Airport to Auckland Hospital.
In the lead up to the flight, Keith had begun feeling off colour at work at 11.30am on a Friday when a big headache came on. And then became a lot worse. “I had a massive headache and nausea.
“Being a male, I thought I would get through it but that escalated to confusion, wobbling and wanting to vomit.”
An ambulance was called and by the time Keith was on his way to Whangārei Hospital the pain scale was a full ten out of ten. A CT scan at the hospital revealed I had a “mass” in my head so a trip to Auckland hospital was in order. At midday on Saturday a Northern Rescue Helicopter flew him to Auckland Hospital where he was rushed to Intensive Care.
“An MRI scan in Auckland revealed I had a large tumour in my head that was putting pressure on my brain stem,” says Keith.
“Thank goodness for the helicopter as I don’t think my head/brain would have taken too kindly to a long ambulance ride on our ‘less than ideal’ roads!”
Keith was operated on the following Monday.
“My Neurosurgeon Lawrence Choi put me at ease by telling me they could get to the tumour and I should have a pretty good outcome from the surgery.
“The operation appeared successful but weeks later I was told that I had the most aggressive cancer in my brain – grade 4 Glioblastoma – and I might have a year to live and that I should think about making a bucket list.
“It just did not register because I was convinced I would be told I was in the clear. So, I thought at least I will get a summer in and then I thought about two years.”
However, Keith’s Oncologist gave him hope by telling him not to put a full stop against anything.
While he could see a fighting spirit in Keith, the man’s journey was only just beginning, starting with months of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
“I started writing notes and six months of notes turned into a book of my journey over a two to three months process. It will be published on Amazon.”
In December 2024, Keith received the ultimate Christmas present when the latest scan gave him ‘the all clear’ – meaning there is no sign of reoccurrence.
“To me now, life is normal, and, in my mind, the cancer has gone so I am getting on with life thanks to the Northland Rescue Helicopter service and all of the medical professionals who have cared for me since my cardiac arrest, the mass and subsequent cancer.
While Keith and his family believe the community cannot do without the Northern Rescue crews, the Pilots and Paramedics who were able to take part in Brady family’s thankyou visit to the base believe the most important aspects are teamwork and the satisfaction of seeing a recovered patient.
When Keith recovered from his 2009 heart attack and subsequent stents, he realised he was lucky to get a second shot at life.
The Oakleigh resident never thought he would experience another life-saving lucky break and hopes sharing his story, he will give others the inspiration that recovery against the odds is possible.
