Teen wakes up paralysed after fainting episode

As Angel Dagcutan lay paralysed on her dining room floor, unable to speak or move, she desperately tried to tell her brother she could breathe as he pounded on her chest whilst performing CPR. 

The 18-year-old could only watch helplessly as her older brother David, who thought she couldn’t breathe, tried to save her, the pressure painful but impossible to pull away from. 

It was late August when Angel woke up feeling unwell at her family’s rural home between Culverden and Hawarden. What had started as flu-like symptoms the day before had worsened overnight, leaving Angel too tired and weak to go to school. 

“I had to stay home because I was really out of it. I knew something was wrong because I’d never been that sick before. Something was off, but I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it,” Angel said. 

Angel spent the morning drifting in and out of a light sleep, too weak to do much else. By lunchtime, things took a terrifying turn. As she sat down at the dining table, struggling with a pounding headache, she began hallucinating. 

“I remember seeing a mail van outside, but then it sort of morphed into an ambulance and then a different van,” Angel said. 

“I was completely out of it, so I closed my eyes to try and regain some clarity. I remember falling asleep and hitting the side of my head. Now I realise that I’d fainted but, at the time, I didn’t know what was happening.” 

When Angel woke up, David was leaning over her, performing CPR. 

“I tried to tell him to stop because it hurt, but I couldn’t speak, my mouth was just numb. Then I tried to push him away, but I couldn’t move my arms either. I was completely paralysed,” Angel said. 

“I tried to tell him I could breathe, but I was just moaning, and it sounded like ‘I can’t breathe’. The only sense of movement I had was in my eyebrows and my eyeballs, my whole jaw and tongue would not move. It was terrifying.” 

Angel’s mother had the paramedics on the phone, who picked up that Angel was paralysed and instructed her to communicate through blinking. That’s when her family realised she could breathe. 

When paramedics arrived a few minutes later, they ran multiple tests but couldn’t determine what was wrong, so Angel was loaded into the ambulance to head to Christchurch Hospital. 

Then the tyre went flat. 

With all other ambulances unavailable or too far away, the decision was made to call in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Because of the rural location and uneven, soft ground, paramedics had to carry Angel on the stretcher across a farm to where the helicopter could safely land. 

Throughout the ordeal, the helicopter paramedics kept Angel calm despite her inability to speak, using her eyes and eyebrows, which paramedics described as very expressive, to communicate. 

“Even though the paramedics had no idea what was happening to me, they didn’t let it freak me out. They spoke as if I was completely fine, which helped me to stay calm,” Angel said. 

Within 20 minutes, Angel arrived at Christchurch Hospital, where she remained paralysed for the rest of the day and into the night.  

Hospital staff checked her regularly by putting their hand against her foot and telling her to try to push against it. 

“I just couldn’t move. Lying in the hospital bed, I had lots of time to think and process everything. I remember thinking ‘I don’t want to be paralysed forever’,” she said. 

On Saturday at around 1am, with tears of relief filling her eyes, Angel was able to slightly push her foot against the doctor’s hand. 

“I can’t even begin to describe the relief I felt. I was just so happy that I could get some movement back,” she said. 

By 4pm, with support, Angel could walk again. 

She was discharged on Monday, though doctors still had no answers about what had caused the mysterious episode. 

“The doctors couldn’t figure it out. They were so confused. They came up with guesses, but no solution made sense,” Angel said. 

Angel has since had follow-up heart tests, but medical staff remained stumped. The experience has left her cautious about almost any physical activity, including netball and long dog walks, always conscious that something similar could happen again. 

Despite the trauma, Angel remembers the relief she felt when the helicopter arrived and the compassionate care she received from all the emergency responders. 

“Honestly, everyone was so amazing. I didn’t have to feel scared. They made me feel very confident in their ability and reassured me,” she said. 

Angel was excited to attend the Night for Flight event at Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa and wanted to help raise money for the Westpac Rescue Helicopters in any way she could. 

“Living this far out, it’s so important to have the helicopter service available,” Angel said. 

“The helicopter got to me so much faster than anything else could have. I really appreciate the paramedics involved who helped me. They were amazing and made a terrifying experience seem not so daunting.”