8-Year-Old Boy Airlifted Off Cruise Ship Returns for Heartwarming Reunion with Crew on His Birthday: WATCH
Mar. 15, 2025An 8-year-old boy was in for a sweet reunion on his birthday!
On Saturday, Sept. 28, Daniel Jiang reunited with the crew of the Princess Cruise ship that he was airlifted off after experiencing a medical emergency four days earlier.
According to a spokesperson for Princess Cruise Line, the young boy has been “cleared to rejoin his family and continue their cruise to Hawaii” after undergoing an appendix surgery.
United States Coast Guard
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)/8-year-old-airlifted-cruise-ship-092624-2-696b410a74cc4eca950638580d795864.jpg)
The family re-boarded the ship in Los Angeles on Daniel’s birthday, where they were met with a “warm and enthusiastic welcome” from the crew.
In a video shared with PEOPLE, the boy is shown walking onto the ship with two family members as he holds a tan dinosaur stuffed animal.
Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard wasemployed to assist Daniel during his medical emergency.
Daniel and his family reunited with crew members on the ‘Royal Princess’.Courtesy Princess Cruises
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/8-year-old-airlifted-reunion-princess-cruises-100124-tout-6104ba2c60964c108281ce7f50306911.jpg)
Courtesy Princess Cruises
The ship was about 20 miles west of Eureka, Calif. when Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders were notified of the emergency at around 7 a.m. local time, according to apress releasefrom the U.S. Coast Guard.
The rescuers were informed that “an 8-year-old male passenger onboard was diagnosed with appendicitis and needed to be medevaced,” per the release.
The rescue was made via helicopter roughly an hour later.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(999x0:1001x2):format(webp)/8-year-old-airlifted-reunion-princess-cruises-100124-1-1791ba8118c1473ab024659faf65f858.jpg)
Video footage of the rescue mission shows an aircrew member helping Daniel into a large metal rescue basket prior to him being lifted into the helicopter. The clip then shows what appears to be two more of his family members being brought up.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Daniel’s mother Nicole Jiang later opened up about the harrowing experience during a conversation withGood Morning Americaon Thursday, Sept. 26.
“The doctor in the cruise said the situation is very [much an] emergency … Daniel got [a] very high fever and the situation [grew] worse and worse,” she told the outlet.
source: people.com
Other Posts
