Intermountain Health transports critically ill Utah toddler from Uruguay

Three‑year‑old Estelle Santiago became gravely ill while visiting grandparents in Uruguay, developing hemolytic uremic syndrome that caused kidney failure, heart failure, seizures and a brain bleed. On 7 January 2026 the Intermountain Health Transfer Center in Salt Lake City received an emergency request and, after insurance approval, dispatched a specially equipped medical jet. Over an 18‑hour flight covering more than 6,300 miles, the Intermountain Health Flight & Ambulance team, coordinated by pediatric critical‑care physician Dr. Jon Woods, provided continuous ventilation, dialysis and cardiac support. The aircraft landed in Utah, where Estelle was admitted to Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Her parents, Michael and Ellie Santiago, credit the rapid international transport for saving her life.