Calif. Air National Guard Works to Rescue Sick Infant Near Mexican Coast
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A rescue team from California parachuted into a remote part of the Pacific Ocean Friday in an effort to reach a sick infant after her health deteriorated during an around-the-world trip with her family.
The team from California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing reached the stranded family Friday morning after they received a call that the 1-year-old girl had become ill some 900 nautical miles off the coast of Mexico.
According to a post from the unit, Eric and Charlotte Kaufman and their two daughters, Cora, 3, and Lyra, 1, are in “good spirits,” as they wait for a second group of rescuers to help bring them to safety.
The nature of Lyra’s illness was unclear, however the unit posted on Facebook that her health issues had become too much for her family to handle during their quest to circumnavigate the globe and that she needed immediate medical care.
The Kaufmans, of San Diego, purchased their 36-foot sailboat — named the Rebel Heart — in 2012 and were blogging about their adventures. According to their blog, they recently began their quest to cross the Pacific.
The 129th Rescue Wing is tasked with performing wartime rescues and also helps perform civilian missions when needed.
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