Quick action of police officers help save 13-year old’s life

On Saturday, December 16 evening at around 8.30 p.m. two Waikato police officers stopped a vehicle near SH27 not knowing they would potentially save someone’s life.

A Waikato woman was driving her car on SH27 with her hazard lights flashing. Ilse van Loggereneerg was driving her 13-year old son Aydan suffering from a severe type of Diabetes 1 from Matamata to Waikato Hospital in Hamilton.

Throughout Friday and Saturday, Aydan developed Ketones (Ketone is a chemical substance that the body makes when it does not have enough insulin in the blood. When ketones build up in the body for a long time, serious illness or coma can result) if not treated he could die.

Ms Ilse phoned the diabetic after-hours emergency line at Waikato Hospital, and they advised her to get Aydan to the hospital asap. Aydan didn’t want to go in an ambulance, so his mother decided to drive him to the hospital.

After leaving Matamata, they had just neared SH27 when they were pulled over by Police for driving with their hazards on.

The police enquired the reason for flashing the hazard light, and Ms Ilse mentioned about her son’s illness and the urgency of the situation.

The officers quickly scooped Aydan in their car and drove to the hospital with as fast as they could with siren and police lights on.

“The kind officer asked what was wrong. When I told him he immediately took my son and drove him to the ER at Waikato Hospital as fast as they could,” Ms Ilse mentioned to the police later.

Rudolf van Loggereneerg with his son Aydan (Picture: Rexine Hawes/Stuff.co.nz)

Aydan’s mother was happy to report that Aydan’s ketones have gone down and he was feeling much better and that Aydan hasn’t stopped talking about the actions of these officers.

“I am eternally grateful for their assistance. I would love to thank them personally, but sadly I didn’t get their names, and my son was in no state to remember anything. A huge thank you from both of us,” Ms Ilse added.

Aydan spent the night at the hospital and was given insulin and other treatment to normal the level of glucose in his body.

Ms Ilse and Aydan returned to their home in Matamata on Sunday afternoon and narrated the heroics of the two officers to his father.

Escalated crime in South Africa pushed the family to migrate to New Zealand a year ago.