Mount Rainier National Park situated in Washington sees over a million visitors each year. For Eric Mendis, a Sri Lankan serving in the US Army, it meant the ideal weekend he’d been looking forward to spending with friends. However, the events that unfolded that weekend in June not only caught Eric off guard, but also caught the attention of the US media, namely the Q13 Fox News crew who captured the day’s happenings on camera.

Ashani Jayamini Thamel, 10, was very ill. She was not only running such a high temperature that her mother could feel the heat through the T-shirt but she was also throwing up blood. Waiting in line to see a private doctor, people advised the mother that time seemed to be running out and when Ashani collapsed, she decided to rush her to the Gampaha General Hospital.