June 5, 2025

During a 4-day, 55-mile backpacking trip in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness, Kyle Reedy said his inReach® device¹ proved to be an “indispensable lifeline,” when a seemingly harmless action — breaking a stick while building a campfire — turned into an emergency that could have resulted in losing his eye. He shared his story with Garmin.

On the evening of our third day, after setting up camp, I attempted to burn some spotted knapweed in our fire ring to prevent seed dispersal. The weather was perfect with clear skies and no wind.

The fire started easily because the weeds were dry as kindling, and I wanted to break a few bigger branches to enjoy the fire for 30 minutes or so. It was one of those evenings you just wanted to enjoy a little more before crawling into sleeping bags.

I was breaking some of the bigger branches with my heel as I leaned them against a rock in the fire ring. Unexpectedly, one of the branches didn’t just break in half but rather shattered. A small shard shot into my right eye, causing a sudden pain like getting poked in the eye.

I was concerned about opening it, because I feared the worst case scenario. My right eye began to tear. When I opened it, my vision was already foggy and worsening.

My wife had me lay in the tent as I went into shock and briefly passed out. She recognized the severity of my condition and triggered an SOS message on our inReach Mini to Garmin Response℠. Roughly one hour later, a rescue helicopter landed close by, and we were airlifted to the emergency room.

We arrived in the ER around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, and my eye had already formed a cataract making it difficult for the doctors to see the full extent of the damage. I was given antibiotic eye drops to take every couple hours and told to follow up on Monday morning.

By the next morning, I was in immense pain. The white of my eye was cherry red and my normally brown iris was baby blue. The doctor determined that my condition required immediate specialist care and administered three injections to combat the rapidly spreading infection. I was then airlifted for emergency treatment.

The specialists confirmed a small corneal puncture, but the cataract and iris protrusion prevented a complete evaluation. The next day, I underwent surgery to repair the corneal puncture. Over the subsequent two weeks, I received a total of 13 injections into my eye.

My primary doctor later revealed that the infection was so severe he initially anticipated having to remove my eye by the end of the first week. I feel extremely grateful that my eye was saved.

Remarkably, my retina remains healthy. I am now preparing for a full corneal transplant in less than two weeks. If all goes well, a little over a year from now, I’ll go back for further surgery where I’ll need a new lens and pupil reconstruction. Regaining vision is highly probable, but to what extent is still uncertain.

Reflecting on this incident, I am certain that without my wife electing to use the inReach Mini, I would have attempted to hike the remaining six miles to the trailhead. This delay in treatment would have likely resulted in the loss of my eye and any chance of regaining sight.

I am eternally grateful for the inReach Mini and the swift rescue it facilitated. I feel it is because of this device that I still have my right eye and a chance to see again.

¹Active subscription required. Some jurisdictions regulate or prohibit the use of satellite communication devices. It is your responsibility to know and follow all applicable laws in the jurisdictions where the satellite communication device is intended to be used.

The subscriber received product in exchange for participation in this blog.