Ida Nelson was leaving a steam bath when she heard the plane flying over Igiugig.
It was the night of August 28, 2020, in a village of just 70 people in southwestern Alaska. A child needed to be urgently evacuated to Anchorage, and LifeMed Alaska had already sent a plane from Kodiak. But when Nelson looked toward the runway, she understood the problem: the lights were off, damaged months earlier.
Without them, the pilot could not land at night. Nelson got on her ATV and raced toward the airport while a neighbor made 32 calls to wake nearly the entire village. After 11 p.m., people came out in their pajamas, got into their cars, trucks, and ATVs, and lined them up along the runway with their lights on. As the plane circled overhead, the neighbors coordinated by radio with the pilot until the improvised light was enough for him to land. The child boarded and took off for Anchorage.
Thanks to the community’s rapid mobilization, the child arrived at the hospital in time, received the medical care needed, and made a full recovery. For her leadership during the emergency, Ida Nelson was later recognized with the Alaska Red Cross Real Hero Award.