A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew airlifted a man suffering from acute kidney failure aboard a cruise ship 40 miles west of the Golden Gate Bridge Friday morning.
The Coast Guard crew responded from Air Station San Francisco at about 6:30 a.m. to a call requesting assistance for a 79-year-old Canadian man showing symptoms of kidney failure aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship.
The cruise ship was headed to Los Angeles, Petty Officer Thomas McKenzie said.
Once the helicopter arrived at the scene, a crew member was lowered onto the ship to assist with hoisting the passenger and the ship's nurse up to the helicopter, according to the Coast Guard.
The man was then taken to Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto and was in stable condition Friday afternoon, Coast Guard officials said.
"We spend a considerable amount of time training for these types of situations so that when the call comes, we can safely and efficiently execute the mission," Lt. Dave Stern said in a statement.
