Coast Guard rescues man with life threatening illness

TRAVERSE CITY, MICH. — A man dealing with what authorities are calling a life-threatening illness was evacuated by helicopter from Beaver Island Saturday Morning.

Search-and-rescue coordinators at Cost Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie received a report early Saturday morning of a man on Beaver Island needing a medical evaluation. A rescue air crew from Traverse City headed to the island.

Due to poor weather conditions, it took authorities two attempts to land the helicopter on the island. The helicopter took the man from Beaver Island to Cherry Capital Airport, where an ambulance was waiting to take him to Munson Medical Center.

The man’s name and his hometown are not being released. There is no update on his condition.

The Coast Guard cutter Biscayne Bay, based in St. Ignace, and an HC-130J Hercules aircraft from Elizabeth City, North Carolina were also dispatched in the event the helicopter did not reach Beaver Island.