Leanne Turner's blood sugar levels were so low, her daughter had to feed her jellybeans and manually move her jaw to chew them.
The typre 1 diabetic's plight was one of a record number of call outs for the The Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter this holiday period.
Her blood sugar levels had dropped to the lowest they've ever been.
She was in her tent when her daughter heard her making strange noises.
Ms Turner (52) was completely unresponsive. Her daughter fed her jelly beans and had to manually move her jaw to get her to chew them.
The Urupukapuka campground they were staying in swung into action to prepare for a rescue team on Monday.
A young man drew a giant "H'' on the sand so the chopper knew where to land while someone else went to warn all the people in little tents and those with towels out to pin them down so they didn't blow away by the helicopter.
The rescue crew landed to find Ms Turner's life in the balance.
``I've never been so happy to see someone... I honestly thought I wasn't going to survive,'' she said.
After the paramedics had worked on Ms Turner, she became coherent and it was decided she didn't need to be transported to hospital.
Instead the campers gave the rescue crew coffee and biscuits and offered to make them breakfast.
Ms Turner wanted to ``fly the flag'' and raise awareness for the crew's great work. She admired how friendly and reassuring the crew was and how tiny the helicopter is on the inside.
``I was really taken aback by how small it is. They do a fantastic job in a confined space.''
Helicopter pilot Paul Robinson said he was grateful for the help people offer to their crews when they arrive.
On New Year's Day, the rescue helicopter were called out 10 times, beating their previous record of nine.
Incidents included: accidental skateboarding, dislocations and a man who crawled to the road after he fell on rocks.
Paul Robinson said the record was the result of a ``perfect storm''. He thought people being adventurous, holiday spots being far away from health care facilities and alcohol were all factors.
``People tend to do things they wouldn't normally be doing and have innocent accidents which is a bit unfortunate.''
Mr Robinson said one of his most shocking call outs was to a 32-year-old man on December 29. He had lost most of his hand after an accident with an industrial planer.
``He basically chopped most of his hand off. He will need plastic surgery.
``It was quite a sad one. He was a young guy, not being an idiot, just going to work doing his job.''
Mr Robinson, who has been a rescue pilot for 10 years, went to three call outs on New Year's Day.
One was a man in his 20s who suffered a head injury, another was a man in his 20s who dislocated his shoulder when he fell from a vehicle and the third was an elderly man with a heart complaint.
Mr Robinson said the doctor and paramedic popped the young man's dislocated shoulder back in while he lay on the ground. He said the two medical professionals were tugging at his arm while the man grimaced.
``He was a very stoic young man, he managed to deal with the pain. It's quite brutal to watch.''
Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust communications advisor Kerrie Spicer said the service was three times busier with 1100 call outs this year than they were in 2006 when they only got around 400.
Her theory is that the baby boomer population is aging and increasing their number of medical call outs. The service also got a new helicopter in 2010 which doubled their capacity.
``There's more elderly people who are having a lot more medical problems.
``Overall we got to more medical jobs than accidents.
``That's probably one of the reasons why we've nearly tripled and migration. More people are living here and finding themselves in trouble.A lot of people aren't used to our environment, particularly around the water.''
The Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust covers 1.4million people from as far north as Te Hana and as far south as Meremere including the Coromandel and Gulf Islands.
Ms Spicer said there can be up to four people on a helicopter including a pilot, paramedic, crewman (they operate the winch) and doctor.
New Year's incidents
* A baby and his dad were flown to Thames Hospital after the father who was carrying his son stepped off a deck and onto a skateboard causing him to slip. The pair were transported from Whangamata in a moderate condition.
* Rescue crew found a man who was stuck in the mangroves around Okura. They winched him to a nearby paddock where he was assessed by a medic and interviewed by police. He was then flown to Auckland City Hospital in a moderate condition.
* A woman in her 30s suffered a trauma injury after she was pinned by a car when the handbrake was inadvertently released in Waiheke. She managed to extricate herself. The crew treated The crew treated the patient and flew her, and her partner, to Auckland City Hospital suffering multiple injuries and in a serious condition.
* A man in his 60s died after he had a cardiac arrest while riding his bike in Port Charles. CPR was performed by a bystander for 40 minutes and he was shocked from an automated external defibrillator. When the crew arrived they also attempted to resuscitate him but the patient passed away at the scene.
* A man in his 50s fell onto rocks and was knocked out in Waihi. After he regained consciousness he crawled to the road where he was found by a passing motorist. He was flown to Waikato Hospital in a serious condition.
