Chris Trokey was only 3.2 pounds when he was born in 1986. His Southern California hospital’s medical staff estimated that his chances of long-term life were 50/50. That simply wasn’t adequate for one of those doctors. The pediatrician had no way of knowing that his tireless efforts to rescue Trokey’s life were an investment in his own long-term survival.
Chris Trokey, who later trained as a paramedic, rescued Dr. Michael Shannon from a flaming car after a serious accident almost thirty years ago to the day that Chris Trokey had been saved by Shannon.
Shannon had been a pediatrician for about ten years at the time Trokey was born. He spent a lot of his childhood visiting doctors since he had illnesses like asthma, a hernia, and appendicitis, which led him to become a doctor and start his business in 1973.
“I spent a lot of time in the doctor’s office. I figured that would be a decent thing to do because my parents appeared to enjoy him,” he recounted in a retirement interview with the Children’s Hospital of Orange County. He jokingly said that he went into pediatrics because “kids don’t judge you and their charts were incredibly tiny.”
Shannon was hit head-on by a semitruck on March 29, 2011, when he was traveling down the Pacific Coast Highway close to Dana Point in Southern California. Shannon’s car was stuck below the large truck and rapidly caught fire. Shannon could only make out a flash of white and the sound of breaking glass.
Firefighters and paramedics from Orange County’s Engine 29 arrived on the scene in under two minutes. They came across a flaming, damaged wreck. Although the fire wasn’t out of control, firefighters were aware that the car may explode at any moment.
Shannon was trapped inside the car as the fire started to burn his legs, but he was unable to flee the accident. Shannon was unable to free himself despite being aware of his severe injuries. He maintained his composure as the temperature inside the SUV rose and informed the rescue team of his location.
Chris Trokey, a paramedic with the Orange County Fire Authority, was present that day. Trokey, who had been an EMT for eight years at that point, was nearing the conclusion of his shift. Despite having worked all night, the Engine 29 crew was fortunate to be in the truck and prepared to respond when the call came in.
Shannon saw that the soles of his shoes were fusing with his skin while the fire truck team battled the car fire. He signaled the team that he needed the hose while they used the Jaws of Life to release him. They delivered it to him, and the doctor extinguished the car’s flames after receiving it. They were still putting out the engine fire outside the vehicle. Twenty minutes later, they rescued Shannon and sent him to Mission Hospital in Laguna Beach, which is close by.
Trokey called the hospital in advance to alert the trauma team at the emergency department. He reported the patient’s name, and something in his recollection was triggered. He questioned whether the physician who had stayed up with him throughout his early days on earth to ensure he lived for the next 30 years was the same one in the SUV.
The future paramedic was born 10 weeks early in June 1981. Baby Chris weighed 3.2 pounds and was small enough to fit in Shannon’s palm. He and his mother had to be transported 25 miles away, from Mission Hospital to the medical center at the neonatal intensive care unit at the University of California Irvine.
The Trokeys were eventually allowed to leave the hospital, but their medical issues lingered on for quite some time. Chris the baby developed an unusual fever just a few weeks after birth and was taken back to the hospital. Dr. Shannon remained with the infant until all was well. Trokey’s pediatrician up till the time he was a teenager was Shannon.
Chris Trokey started to remember the man in the back of the ambulance more clearly as he cared for Shannon while the ambulance sped to the hospital.
Shannon suffered a ruptured gut, foot burns of the second and third degree, and glass fragments lodged all over his body. Two of his toes had to be removed, and it took him 45 days to heal from his wounds. The day following the life-saving procedure, the men of Engine 29 went to the doctor.
On the anniversary of the vehicle accident, when a paramedic returned the favor for the doctor who saved his life, Trokey and Shannon now get together once a year. Porter Trokey, Trokey’s son, was born in 2015, and Shannon cared for him for two years before leaving the profession in 2017.
Water park in japan, ocean dome: Largest indoor water park in the world
The Seagaia Ocean Dome, located in Miyazaki, Japan, was the biggest indoor waterpark in the world. An "Ocean" six times the size of an Olympic pool, filled with 13,500 tons of unsalted, chlorinated water kept heated at 28 degrees Celsius and recognized as the largest simulated pool by the Guinness Book of World Records, measures 12,000 square meters of the sandy beach made from 600 tons of stone.
The incredible story of a plane that lost its roof in mid-flight and the light signal that saved 94 lives.
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane.
The world’s longest flight spent more than two months in the air
Roberts Timm and Jim Cook, two pilots, flew an aircraft for more than two months without landing in 1958. Matching the speed of a truck moving down the road to refuel. A mattress for sleeping, a small steel sink for personal hygiene, the removal of most interior fittings to reduce weight, and a basic autopilot were among the improvements.
Leo Grand: from homeless to mobile app developer
In 2013, A young programmer offered a homeless man the choice between $100 cash or coding lessons. Leo Grand chose the lessons, and his first mobile app was “Trees for Cars," which helps drivers find carpooling partners.
The beauty and uniqueness of Fukang Meteorite
This Fukang meteorite is around 4.5 billion years old and weighs more than 2,000 pounds. It was discovered in China in 2014 and is assumed to have formed when our solar system initially formed.
Who invented the three-point seat belt?
While employed by Volvo in 1959, Swidish engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point safety belt. Volvo first had the design patented, but soon as they discovered its importance as a new safety measure, they made the patent open to everyone. Millions of lives were genuinely spared by Volvo’s gift to the world.
Woman had no idea she had an identical twin until she saw a 'lookalike' on YouTube
When Anais Bordier saw a YouTube video of Samantha Futerman, who looked exactly like her, she messaged her on Facebook and discovered they were both adopted and born on the same day. They were identical twins who had been separated at birth and had found each other by chance and on social media.
Apple Watch saves a 78 year old man from life threatening fall
An Apple watch saved the life of a 78-year-old man from North Carolina. When the man was unconscious and collapsed on his driveway, his Apple watch quickly sent an alert to emergency services.
China Weather Control on 2008 Olympics with missile
One thing is certain: when it comes to ensuring nice weather for the world's largest party, the Chinese cannot be accused of being subtle. The Chinese government authorized the use of 1,104 cloud seeding missile launches from 4:00-11:39 p.m. on Friday night to reduce the possibility of rain ahead of the 29th Olympic opening ceremony in Beijing
Australian man dies, comes back to life, and wins the lottery twice
Bill Morgan, an Australian, is a man who has beat the odds. He escaped death by surviving a horrific automobile accident and heart attack before collapsing into a coma and going on to win the lotto twice. He went from losing virtually everything to winning far more than he could have imagined.
Neerja Bhanot, the braveheart flight attendant was never run away from a crisis
Neeja Bhanot, a 22 year old Indian flight attendant who helped hides 41 American passports aboard a hijacked plane. She died shielding three children from gunfire and was posthumously awarded bravery medals from India, Pakistan, and the United States.
The fearless Annie Lee Cooper
Annie Lee Cooper was fired in 1963 after attempting to register to vote. She attempted it once more in 1965, but the sheriff ordered her to leave after prodding her in the neck with a club. She then punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. She was imprisoned before ultimately registering to vote. Following the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the sheriff was ousted and subsequently imprisoned for collaborating to transport drugs, but Annie Lee Cooper lived to reach 100 years old and bears her name to this day.
Elvita Adams jumps from the Empire State Building and amazingly survived
Elvita Adams once tried to commit suicide by jumping off the empire state building. She Jumped from the 86th floor but was blown back to 85th floor by a strong gust of wind.
The accidentally discovery of Riace bronzes
Stefano Mariottini was snorkeling off the coast of Monasterace near Riace in 1972 when he noticed a human hand sticking out of the sand and called the police, thinking it was a corpse. It was actually two statues of "Warriors from Riace" - 5th century BC Greek bronze statues.
Man's Blood Helped Save Millions of Babies
Australian blood donor James Harrison has been one of our most impressive and valued donors, having donated for 60 years. Know his story, how he was a pioneer of our Anti-D program, and why this matters.
LEGO Braille Bricks: Revolutionizing Braille Learning Through Play and Inclusion
go Braille Bricks were launched in 2020 to help visually impaired children learn Braille through play. Each brick features the Braille alphabet and is fully compatible with standard Lego sets, allowing sighted peers to join in, fostering inclusivity and collaboration in learning environments.
Passenger with No Flying Experience Lands Plane in Florida: A Real-Life Aviation Miracle
A passenger with no flying experience landed a twin-engine plane in Florida after the pilot died mid-flight. With guidance from air traffic control, he safely touched down—a real-life aviation miracle caught on radar and radio.
The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Located in Belize, there is a cave where the remnants of ancient Maya human sacrifices can be witnessed. However, reaching the back of the cave system requires swimming, wading through a cave river, and crawling through narrow, uneven rocky passages in darkness. Once there, visitors can walk among the numerous corpses of sacrifice victims, including The Crystal Maiden, an 18-year-old whose skeleton has become calcified to the point of sparkling.
Longest burning light bulb, The centennial light bulb in livermore, California
The world's longest lasting light bulb holds the Guinness World Record, and has been illuminating local fire stations in Livermore, California since 1901, the year Queen Victoria died.
A little girl survived a 1-hour submersion in freezing creek water
On June 10, 1986, two-and-a-half-year-old Michelle Funk fell into an icy creek and was submerged for 66 minutes. When rescuers pulled her out of the water, she was not breathing, had no pulse, and appeared lifeless. The doctors used various techniques to rewarm her blood and bring her back to life. She was successfully resuscitated and went on to lead a healthy life.
Lafayette pizza delivery driver who saved 5 from burning house
Nicholas Bostic a 25-year-old pizza delivery man from Lafayette, Indiana, ran into a burning house to rescue four children, who told him there is one more inside. He ran back inside, he found the six-year-old girl, jumped out of a window, carried her to a cop who captured the moment on his bodycam.
stranded hikers rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature
Stranded hikers were rescued by a life-saving iPhone feature that an awful lot of folks don't know a lot about.
How 'Brad's Drink' Became Pepsi-Cola
Pepsi was first introduced as “Brad’s Drink” in New Bern, North Carolina, United States, in 1893 by Caleb Bradham, who made it at his drugstore where the drink was sold. It was renamed Pepsi Cola in 1898, named after the digestive enzyme pepsin and kola nuts used in the recipe.
Woman survives skydiving accident, discovers she's pregnant
2005, a woman performing her first solo skydive jump survived a parachute malfunction which caused her to slam face first into a parking lot at 50 MPH. During surgery doctors discovered she was pregnant. She made a full recovery and the baby was fine.
Smart guy brings life-sized cutout of his late mother to his graduation
Even though that his mother passed away in 2016, a young man had a clever idea to make a life-size cutout of her and bring it to the event so that she could attend his graduation ceremony.
