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US teen walks off 120-ft cliff while hallucinating due to altitude sickness; in coma

US teen walks off 120-ft cliff while hallucinating due to altitude sickness; in coma

Hindustan Times17 hours ago

A 14-year-old boy from California walked off a 120-feet cliff while hallucinating due to altitude sickness. Zane's father Ryan Wach said that during the 19 hour-hike, his son began showing signs of altitude sickness. (Go Fund Me)
The boy, identified as Zane Wach, fell from Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in front of his father on June 10, according to the New York Post. He is currently in a medically induced coma.
He sustained severe injuries including head trauma, a broken ankle, finger and pelvis, the New York Post reported citing SFGate.
Zane's father Ryan Wach said that during the 19 hour-hike, his son began showing signs of altitude sickness, following which both of them started climbing down the mountain.
Ryan told The Independent that Zane's altitude sickness was 'not too severe' initially, adding that he was confident about his son's ability. 'He's in better shape than I am," Ryan said. He further said that his son had hiked previously and used to regularly compete in distance running, swimming and triathlons.
Therefore, Ryan said that he thought the hike could be an introduction to mountaineering for Zane. But once the tough parts of the hike were over, Ryan exhibited signs of altitude sickness, compelling his father to take a safer route to trace the seven mile-descent to their car.
However, Ryan said that things started to get worse as they started climbing down the mountain.
Zane started to experience hallucinations, his father said, adding that the teenager was aware of his condition. 'He said he saw things like snowmen and Kermit the Frog,' Ryan told SFGate. 'He essentially started to doubt reality'
The father said that he was keeping a close eye on his son, but his symptoms got 'considerably better' after a while. But an hour later, Zane once again started hallucinating and "essentially started to doubt reality'.
On their way down the trail, Zane told his father that they had already completed the hike 'multiple times over'. Recalling this as 'completely bizarre', Ryan said that Zane's behaviour could be a combination of exhaustion, sleep deprivation, dehydration and the effect of altitude sickness.
'He told me he couldn't tell if he was dreaming or not, and he would shake his head in disbelief, like, 'This is not real.' Like he was in the movie 'Inception' or something," Ryan said.
While a separate group of hikers called for a search and rescue team to get Zane down the mountain, the teenager seemed like he was 'sleepwalking'. 'He started dragging his feet and stopped in his tracks,' Ryan said, adding that Zane did not want to continue.
The teenager tried to get near the slope twice, once telling his father that he was going to the car, and the second time saying he was getting dinner.
Seeing Zane's behaviour, Ryan became emotional and let him go briefly, according to the New York Post. 'This time, I didn't hear it until he was about at the edge, and when I went to reach for him, he was 10 feet away from me. I couldn't get him, and he walked off the edge," Ryan said.
Following this, Ryan ran to get his son, meeting an EMT on the way, who helped with relief efforts. However, it took six hours for Zane to be rescued from the mountain.
He was then taken to Southern Inyo Hospital in Lone Pine, and later shifted to the Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, according to SFGate. Ryan said that his son's condition was improving, and that he had opened his eyes briefly on Wednesday.
A GoFundMe campaign to pay for Zane's medical expenses has collected $23,000, which will also assist the family with their travel costs, lodging and more.
'It's going to be a survival story in the end, but right now we're still in the middle of it,' Zane's father Ryan said.

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US teen walks off 120-ft cliff while hallucinating due to altitude sickness; in coma
US teen walks off 120-ft cliff while hallucinating due to altitude sickness; in coma

Hindustan Times

time17 hours ago

  • Hindustan Times

US teen walks off 120-ft cliff while hallucinating due to altitude sickness; in coma

A 14-year-old boy from California walked off a 120-feet cliff while hallucinating due to altitude sickness. Zane's father Ryan Wach said that during the 19 hour-hike, his son began showing signs of altitude sickness. (Go Fund Me) The boy, identified as Zane Wach, fell from Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in front of his father on June 10, according to the New York Post. He is currently in a medically induced coma. He sustained severe injuries including head trauma, a broken ankle, finger and pelvis, the New York Post reported citing SFGate. Zane's father Ryan Wach said that during the 19 hour-hike, his son began showing signs of altitude sickness, following which both of them started climbing down the mountain. Ryan told The Independent that Zane's altitude sickness was 'not too severe' initially, adding that he was confident about his son's ability. 'He's in better shape than I am," Ryan said. He further said that his son had hiked previously and used to regularly compete in distance running, swimming and triathlons. Therefore, Ryan said that he thought the hike could be an introduction to mountaineering for Zane. But once the tough parts of the hike were over, Ryan exhibited signs of altitude sickness, compelling his father to take a safer route to trace the seven mile-descent to their car. However, Ryan said that things started to get worse as they started climbing down the mountain. Zane started to experience hallucinations, his father said, adding that the teenager was aware of his condition. 'He said he saw things like snowmen and Kermit the Frog,' Ryan told SFGate. 'He essentially started to doubt reality' The father said that he was keeping a close eye on his son, but his symptoms got 'considerably better' after a while. But an hour later, Zane once again started hallucinating and "essentially started to doubt reality'. On their way down the trail, Zane told his father that they had already completed the hike 'multiple times over'. Recalling this as 'completely bizarre', Ryan said that Zane's behaviour could be a combination of exhaustion, sleep deprivation, dehydration and the effect of altitude sickness. 'He told me he couldn't tell if he was dreaming or not, and he would shake his head in disbelief, like, 'This is not real.' Like he was in the movie 'Inception' or something," Ryan said. While a separate group of hikers called for a search and rescue team to get Zane down the mountain, the teenager seemed like he was 'sleepwalking'. 'He started dragging his feet and stopped in his tracks,' Ryan said, adding that Zane did not want to continue. The teenager tried to get near the slope twice, once telling his father that he was going to the car, and the second time saying he was getting dinner. Seeing Zane's behaviour, Ryan became emotional and let him go briefly, according to the New York Post. 'This time, I didn't hear it until he was about at the edge, and when I went to reach for him, he was 10 feet away from me. I couldn't get him, and he walked off the edge," Ryan said. Following this, Ryan ran to get his son, meeting an EMT on the way, who helped with relief efforts. However, it took six hours for Zane to be rescued from the mountain. He was then taken to Southern Inyo Hospital in Lone Pine, and later shifted to the Sunrise Children's Hospital in Las Vegas, according to SFGate. Ryan said that his son's condition was improving, and that he had opened his eyes briefly on Wednesday. A GoFundMe campaign to pay for Zane's medical expenses has collected $23,000, which will also assist the family with their travel costs, lodging and more. 'It's going to be a survival story in the end, but right now we're still in the middle of it,' Zane's father Ryan said.

US Teen Walks Off 120-Foot Cliff While Hallucinating Due To Altitude Sickness
US Teen Walks Off 120-Foot Cliff While Hallucinating Due To Altitude Sickness

NDTV

timea day ago

  • NDTV

US Teen Walks Off 120-Foot Cliff While Hallucinating Due To Altitude Sickness

A 14-year-old boy in the US is in a medically induced coma after walking off a 120-foot slope right in front of his father while hallucinating due to altitude sickness. According to the New York Post, the boy, identified as Zane, was hiking with his father, Ryan Wach, on June 10 when the incident took place. He suffered severe head trauma from the fall and remains comatose. The teen also broke an ankle, a finger and part of his pelvis. According to the father, the 14-year-old described seeing "snowmen and Kermit the Frog" before walking off the slope. The frightening events unfolded as the father-son duo made their way down Mount Whitney in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The father said that initially, he had no doubts about his son's ability to handle the hike, as he had hiking experience and was an active teen who competed in distance running, swimming and triathlons. "The idea was that this would be kind of like his introduction to mountaineering," Mr Wach said, per the outlet. However, as the pair were on the journey up the mountain, the 14-year-old slowly started exhibiting symptoms of altitude sickness, the father said. He shared that he noticed his son was having issues, but they had already finished the toughest parts of the hike, so they decided to take an easier trail to ensure a safer seven-mile descent back to their car. But this is when things took an unexpected turn. As the duo were heading toward the trailhead, the father said that his son started to "experience some hallucinations". "He knew he was hallucinating," Mr Wach said, adding, "He said he saw things like snowmen and Kermit the Frog." The father said he was keeping a close eye on his son throughout the trial, and at one point, Zane also looked "considerably better". But about an hour later, the 14-year-old again started acting strangely and began doubting "reality," the father said. "My best guess is a combination of exhaustion, sleep deprivation, probably some dehydration, and lasting effects from the altitude sickness. But he essentially started to doubt reality," he continued. Moments later, the pair again stopped as Zane told his father they had "already finished the hike multiple times over." "It was completely bizarre," Mr Wach recalled. "He told me he couldn't tell if he was dreaming or not, and he would shake his head in disbelief, like, 'This is not real.' Like he was in the movie 'Inception' or something," he said. The 14-year-old's deteriorating state of mind then prompted a separate group of hikers nearby to call for a search and rescue team to get him down the mountain. But around the same time, things went from bad to worse. "He almost seemed like he was sleepwalking. He started dragging his feet and stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to go on," the father said. According to Mr Wach, his son started making erratic movements toward a ledge near the trail with a steep, jagged slope, but he grabbed him before he could go over. Later, he again tried to move toward the slope but was stopped by his father. At this moment, the father felt overwhelmed and became emotional. "I had to wipe away tears. I was holding my hands to my eyes, and he walked off again," the father recalled. "This time, I didn't hear it until he was about at the edge, and when I went to reach for him, he was 10 feet away from me. I couldn't get him, and he walked off the edge," he said. The 14-year-old fell an estimated 120 feet down the slope before hitting the ground. It took around six hours for the rescue teams to get Zane off the mountain. He was eventually airlifted to the hospital. Given the extent of the fall, doctors said it was "fairly miraculous" that the teen wasn't injured further, his father said. Zane is "improving" and briefly opened his eyes on Wednesday, but "still has a long way to go," he added.

PGIMER Chandigarh consultants referred 153 patients to yoga centre last year
PGIMER Chandigarh consultants referred 153 patients to yoga centre last year

Indian Express

time20-06-2025

  • Indian Express

PGIMER Chandigarh consultants referred 153 patients to yoga centre last year

Consultants of various departments of PGIMER, including medicine, cardiology, eye centre, etc, have referred 153 patients in the last year to PGI's CCRYN-Collaborative Centre for Mind Body Intervention through yoga, says Prof Akshay Anand, Department of Neurology, and in charge of the Yoga Centre. PGIMER's Yoga centre has been conducting five-minute yoga sessions in 19 departments and for patients' caregivers daily since June 1, 2024. However, yoga for caregivers is a routine activity which is conducted twice a week in the park behind Bhargava Auditorium at PGI. Yoga offers numerous benefits for both mental and physical health, as it helps reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, supports the management of hypertension and diabetes, alleviates chronic back pain, and improves posture, among other advantages. PGIMER has actively taken steps to integrate yoga into holistic healthcare and research, recognising its vital role in promoting overall well-being and executing research in the field of yoga to determine the mechanism behind the effect of Yoga on the body's physiology. The centre, apart from working on evidence for yoga intervention studies, has specialists take daily yoga classes and sessions for healthcare workers and patients referred by doctors and also for doctors' families. The larger intent is to include yoga into holistic healthcare and research to promote well-being, with the programmes designed scientifically and validated internationally. 'Yoga is an important tool for rejuvenation and holistic care,' says Prof Vivek Lal, Director, PGI. In a pioneering move towards holistic healthcare, PGI's Advanced Cardiac Centre (ACC) started yoga sessions for patients and caregivers to enhance their cardiac and mental well-being. Underpinning the therapeutic potential of yoga in addressing blockages in arteries, Prof Lal said, 'Yoga offers a holistic approach to cardiovascular health, including the potential to address blockages in arteries. Through regular practice, individuals can experience improved blood flow, reduced stress and enhanced overall heart function.' Dr Neelam Dahiya, Department of Cardiology, the brain behind the initiative, said that integrating yoga into cardiology fosters a holistic approach to health, empowering individuals to nurture their hearts and minds in unison. 'We intend to make this an integral part of our medical advice/treatment.' According to Dr Dahiya, the idea behind the project goes beyond physical well-being and strives to ease the stress and anxiety of patients and their caregivers as they wait in the OPD for their turn. 'We are so encouraged by the response that now specific modules for patients will be designed,' added Dr Dahiya. In another initiative, Dr Babita Ghai, Professor and Consultant in Charge of the Pain Clinic, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, PGI, Chandigarh, has been evaluating the role of yoga therapy in managing chronic low back pain (CLBP) in the community. This DST-SATYAM-funded research project is aimed at providing a sustainable intervention to reduce pain symptoms and associated disabilities among adults in semi-urban and rural areas of Chandigarh. As part of the project, PGI will conduct free health camps at various community health centres for screening, awareness, and patient recruitment. Recruited patients will receive daily yoga or physical exercise classes for two weeks, conducted by trained yoga therapists at the Sector 25 Public Health Dispensary. In recent years, yoga has been increasingly recognised for its role in managing chronic low back pain (CLBP), and a study by Dr Ghai evaluated the effectiveness of the Integrated Approach of Yoga Therapy (IAYT) in a randomised controlled pilot study. The study compared IAYT with usual care in 29 CLBP patients recruited from the Pain Clinic at PGI. Results showed significant improvements in pain scores, functionality, depression, anxiety, and quality of life in the yoga group after one and three months.

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