Legacy's Second Chance

Exactly one year ago, Legacy Haenga was a happy, healthy boy living his normal life with his whānau.

Then, without warning, everything changed.

Legacy suffered a sudden, life-threatening brain haemorrhage caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an abnormal connection between blood vessels in the brain. Until that day, Legacy and his family had no idea the condition existed.

“One moment he was just being his normal self, and the next he was fighting for his life,” says his mum, Kyla. “We were told his chances of survival were very low.”

For Kyla and her whānau, the hours that followed were a blur.

“I’ll never forget how quickly everything happened after that. The Northland Westpac Rescue Helicopter arrived, and from that moment I knew he was in the best hands possible. It was still incredibly scary, but it was also such a relief.”

Critical Care Paramedic Dan Short cared for Legacy at the scene before getting him airborne to Starship Hospital, where he could receive the specialist care he urgently needed.

“Dan worked on him right there and got him in the air to Starship so quickly, faster than we ever could have imagined. Getting him to the specialist care he needed as quickly as possible really mattered.”

At Starship, Legacy remained critically unwell and underwent multiple brain surgeries.

For Kyla and her family, those early days were some of the hardest they had ever experienced.

“Legacy wasn’t himself at all. He had non-purposeful movements, couldn’t communicate, and needed help with absolutely everything. We didn’t know what the future would look like for him.”

Then, slowly, things began to change.

Over the following months, Legacy started the long journey of recovery and rehabilitation. Gradually, Kyla and her whānau began to see glimpses of the boy they knew returning.

“First there were small movements from our boy, then awareness, then words. Step by step, he relearned how to do the things we all take for granted.”

Today, Legacy is walking and talking again. His smile is back. So is his cheeky nature.

He continues to have regular scans and follow-up appointments at Starship as his recovery continues. But after everything he has been through, there are moments that feel almost impossible to imagine back in those first terrifying days.

“We’ve just returned home from our first overseas holiday, something that felt completely out of reach not so long ago,” says Kyla.

“He’s still on his journey, but he’s here, he’s strong, and he’s getting his life back.”

For Kyla and her family, the Northern Rescue operated rescue helicopter was a vital link between the emergency at home and the specialist care Legacy needed.

“I truly believe, with everything in me, that none of this would have been possible without the rescue service and the incredible crew members on the helicopters who got him to Starship in time.

“They didn’t just transport my son. They gave him a chance to live, to let his humour and spark shine again, and to remain part of our whānau.”

Today, Legacy is home with the people who love him, continuing to recover, laugh, grow and make plans for the future.

And for his family, that future is something they will never take for granted.

Legacy’s story is a powerful reminder that when every second matters, being there can change everything. Your donation helps keep our Northern Rescue helicopters flying, so another family can have the chance Legacy’s whānau had: to get their loved one the urgent care they need, when they need it most.