Angela Bridges’ serene Caribbean cruise turned into a nightmare voyage when her 12-year-old son, Aiden, fell seriously ill on board. The boy’s cruise ship affliction was no ordinary virus, either—health care professionals told Bridges her son had a perforated bowel and needed to disembark immediately. The Carnival Venezia, which was 350 miles off the coast of North Carolina, had to call in help from the Air Force, who airlifted Aiden off the deck in a stunning feat. “We were standing there watching the whole time, and I, just, you know, screaming and crying over the helicopter blades,” Bridges told ABC News. “It was very scary.” The operation was a success, as the airmen safely pulled Aiden from the ship and transported him to a hospital on land, where he’s now recovering. “I feel so much gratitude, gratefulness toward all the people who have been integral to my son’s recovery,” Bridges added. “It’s not just the Coast Guard or the Air Force, or the doctors or the nurses. It’s all of those people.”