Coast Guard Assists Sick Boy

An 11-year-old boy with appendicitis rode to safety early this morning as the Coast Guard rescued him from the Cruise Ship Horizon about 80-miles southeast of Atlantic City. At about 3 a.m., the Coast Guard received a call from the Horizon physician indicating that Patrick Hogan, a young passenger onboard, had severe abdominal pain and may need to be evacuated for care. To facilitate the rescue, Coast Guard personnel instructed the captain of the Horizon to head toward shore and position his ship within 80-miles of the coast. The Coast Guard then launched a C-130 rescue airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., to provide cover for the HH-65 rescue helicopter and crew from Group Air Station Atlantic City. By about 5:58 a.m., both Hogan and his father, John Hogan, were safely aboard the helicopter en route to Bader Field and waiting EMS personnel from the Atlantic City Trauma Center. "Those guys just did an absolutely terrific job," said Hogan's father. Hogan was admitted to the Trauma Center, where he will receive an appendectomy. Trauma Center officials reported the boy in stable condition.