LifeFlight’s ‘flying emergency department’ saved Aaron’s life — wife swims 5km to say thank you
From left, Flight Paramedic Damien Storeywood, Bryony & Aaron Gray and Rescue Crew Officer Ben Regan are reunited under better circumstances.
A year after a near-fatal motorcycle crash almost claimed her husband’s life, Nambour woman Bryony Gray has completed a gruelling 5km endurance swim to raise money for the service she credits with saving him.
Her 100 laps fundraiser took place at Nambour Aquatic Centre on Thursday (November 20).
Mr Gray owes his life to one central truth: LifeFlight helicopters are not just airborne ambulances. They are flying emergency departments.
And in his case, that distinction made the difference between life and death.
In November 2024, Mr Gray, 61, suffered a traumatic brain injury, massive blood loss and around 30 fractures in a motorcycle crash on the Old Bruce Highway near Pomona. LifeFlight’s aeromedical team reached him in minutes, landing on a closed stretch of road as police and fire crews secured the scene.
What followed, Flight Paramedic Damien Storeywood said, was “the equivalent of an entire emergency department brought to Aaron”.
“It was touch and go — brain injury, multiple injuries, blood loss,” he said. “Everything we did on that roadside had to happen quickly. Trauma doesn’t stop for anyone.”
From landing to arrival at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital took just 62 minutes – a timeline Mr Storeywood described as life-saving.
Mr Gray was placed in an induced coma and spent 10 weeks in hospital. Neurosurgeons were stunned at his early progress.
“Given the severity of his injuries, they couldn’t believe he was sitting up and talking a few days later,” Mrs Gray said.
Mr Gray said he owes his life to LifeFlight.
“When I say they saved me, I mean they saved my life,” he said. “If I had not got on that helicopter, I wouldn’t be here today. There are no words for the gratitude I feel.”
That gratitude drove his wife into the pool. Mrs Gray, who only learned to swim six years ago, pushed through pain and exhaustion to finish the 5km.
“I was bloody relieved,” she said. “Between three and four kilometres was the hardest mentally. But thinking about Aaron fighting for his life — that kept me going.”
Rescue crew officer Ben Regan said the rapid landing and coordinated emergency response gave Mr Gray “the best chance possible” to survive.
Both crew said it was inspiring to reunite with a patient whose life they had saved.
Today, Mr Gray is back at work part-time and continuing physiotherapy and occupational therapy.
LifeFlight’s role in saving Aaron’s life is what motivated Mrs Gray to take on the challenge. She said she simply wanted to give something back and help the service continue saving families like hers.
• To donate, visit the Nambour Aquatic Centre social channels or Bryony’s fundraiser: www.paypal.com/pools/c/9jqAxTzzED
