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Bruce Hill
"She definitely proved herself and it was great to see her take all her skills and put them together," said Bruce Hill of his wife, Rebecca Fischer, after he suffered a burst appendix while on their honeymoon.
How’s this for a bad trip?
At the tail end of a wedding and honeymoon spent scuba diving and exploring in Fiji and New Zealand in September 2010, Bruce Hill suffered a burst appendix, a chaotic and overpriced cab ride to a closed clinic and, finally, emergency surgery.
To save his life, Hill’s bride, Rebecca Fischer, had to scramble to find resources and rely on the kindness of strangers, including a barber shop customer who, mid-haircut, volunteered to drive the couple to an open clinic. After the surgery, Fischer nursed her husband back to health while working out all the details to get her husband medical clearance to fly home. The couple splits their time between Dallas and Tyler, Texas.
For her heroics, Fischer has won a $10,000 “Hero’s Vacation” in Travel Guard North America’s "World's Unluckiest Traveler 2: The Rescue" contest. Travel Guard North America, a travel insurance company, launched its inaugural competition for the dubious honor in 2010.
For the contest, the travel insurance company asked people to share stories about how a good deed or a random act of kindness saved a trip. (Story: An act of kindness could be worth $10,000)
The public was invited to vote for the best travel hero from a list of 10 finalists that included the story of a couple who helped a woman and her baby trapped in a car that rolled down an embankment, and a father who helped carry his son to a clinic after he contracted “some kind of amoebic dysentery” on a Mount Kilimanjaro climb.
“We have all experienced travel mishaps,” said Carol Mueller, vice president, Travel Guard North America in a statement, “and we hope that stories like Rebecca’s will inspire other travelers to take a minute and help someone in need, be it a stranger or a family member.”
For his part, Hill remains thankful to have had Fischer lead him through a very rough time. "As a firefighter, I’m always the one helping people," he told msnbc.com. "She’s an engineer and more of a planner who really likes being organized, so I threw a big kink into the plans. She definitely proved herself and it was great to see her take all her skills and put them together."
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Harriet Baskas is a frequent contributor to msnbc.com, authors the “Stuck at the Airport” blog and is a columnist for USATODAY.com. You can follow her on Twitter.
Leave a Comment:
Shouldn't the guy, in mid haircut, that went out of his way to drive them to an open clinic, have gotten the prize money? That was a selfless act. If his new wife would have just abandoned him, it would be a very short marriage. "In sickness and in health."
Okay, what did she do that any other wife would not do?? I guess I missed that part??
I agree. The driver should have been awarded for his actions. When I first read the headline I thought that maybe the wife had some medical training that saved his life, but obvious this was not the case.
yeah i dont really see how the wife is the hero here.
She could have just let him die and if she is like most people here in the U.S. then she will eventually regret her decision not to.
Completely off subject. Have you all noticed the husband's absolutely glorious handle-bar mustache?
beautiful stashe, lol
Not a handlebar. A handlebar is only attached on the upper lip.
I'm mad I can't see her tits.
That is a glorious mustache but it's not a handle bar, it's more of a Foo Man Choo. Did anyone notice the pool and the beautiful landscaping that surrounds it?
Could see it now
Wife: Honey are you okay
Husband: UGH! Pain! Side! UGH!
Wife: Honey? Life insurance paid? Are we good?
Husband: WHA? Holy Goodness woman I.....
Wife: IS IT GOOD!
Husband: UGHHHHH YES ITS FINE! NOW HELP ME!!
Wife: What?
Husband: HELP ME PLEASE
Wife: Huh?
Seems to me most of you posting on here must be men. How small minded you are to say she wasn't a hero and doesn't deserve the money. If it had been turned around you probably would all be crowing about how great the husband was. You must all feel very threatened by a woman doing something good. How sad and shameful of you.
Thats not the case. We men arent attacking her because of her gender. we are not attacking her period. IMO, who wouldnt do what she did for thier significant other? The strangers selfless act was just that selfless and a bit of sacrafice on his part. WOW, how you determened that we MEN must be woman haters isnt only absurb I would speculate you have had many many disfunctional relationships in the past if not currently. WOW, psyche alert.............. Have a good day! Tony
Actually, Tony, she simply voiced my first thought as well "wow, look at all these woman haters..."
Not that I think she deserved it, I couldn't imagine anyone reacting any differently. IMO, the selfless haircut guy was the hero in this situation.
Although, I have to admit, based on her story... and the fact that she won... who exactly was she up against? I don't see this as heroic.
And yeah... no dysfunctional relationships here, either. And ummm... WOW, spelling alert, dude.
What was so heroic? It's not like she had to open a jar or anything!
I agree with most if not all of the above posts. I dont believe she did anyhting our partners wouldnt for each other in a time of drastic need. The gentleman getting the haircut and providing tthe transportation would have gotton my vote. Glad they are ok. EVERYONY ENJOY YOUR UPCOMING HOLIDAY SEASON. Take Care, Tony
gmainco, umadbrah?
Sorry to bust your bubble Tony but I had a wonderful marriage that lasted 49 years before my beloved passed away. He sacrificed for me as well as I did for him. I hope you can be as lucky as I was.
Hey !! who knows down the road she might be saying [ after catching him with some BIMBO ] " I missed
my chance, didn't I "
Excuse me? She "proved herself??" What exactly does that mean?
I guess my people (women) are such good caretakers, we can now take for granted their over-the-top efforts to save the world. She stuck with him, wouldn't give up, found and recruited the help to save his life. Isn't it about time wives were recognized as heroes instead of relegated to an eternally silent page of HIS-tory? The firefighter agrees with me.
Quickly, cancel all my plans! Somebody on the internet is wrong!
Keep making me shake my head people...
I want my 2 minutes of life reading this back!
Rewarded for doing absolutely nothing extraordinary!
I think the people who helped those in an overturned vehicle would have gotten the prize. My uncle fell into a plate glass window while decorating for Christmas two years ago and was seriously cut in multiple places. While I called out to others to call 9-1-1, I proceeded to tie off the upper portion of his arm with my coat scarf to staunch the bleeding until the rescue squad could arrive and take over. I was told that I may have saved his life and, if not, at least his arm. Good people help people in trouble and shouldn't expect to be rewarded for it.
I have been unlucky most of my life. Where's my money?
He's a fireman, that's pretty common.
I, too, am baffled about how her actions rise to the level of heroic, a term that is, unfortunately, bandied around too much in my opinion. If you wouldn't do what she did for a close family member, especially your new husband, hummmmm. But even aside from the guy getting a haricut who drove them to a clinic, what about the other finalists. I believe a I read where a couple, strangers to the victims, helped a woman and her baby who had gone over an embankment. I think someone more in line with the spirit of the contest could have been found.
Maybe because she's the one who found the only person that would drive them to the hospital?? I don't know either. But the barber shop guy should get a-piece-of-the-pie.
My brother-in-law and his mother-in-law (on different occasions) saved my husbands life.... But WE need the money. lol
If I got $1 for every time I was "Heroic"(Based on this articles take on the word).....
The comb over really adds to the mustache. Kudos to the guy to have survived this.
And to the EMT who saved my sons life in the ambulance.... Bless his heart!