A man who quit his accountancy job to travel the world is now fighting for his life after falling down a 200ft cliff.
Kyle Quin Schrock, 36, was hiking in Madeira, Portugal, on October 11 when the trail crumbled beneath his feet.
According to his family, he is in the ICU with broken ribs and is waiting for spinal surgery, as well as needing his lungs drained.
‘I thought it was my death,’ the photographer shared in a video posted to his 1.3million Instagram followers.
‘But eventually [I] got caught on a piece of grass, like a little bush. [It] did not feel strong enough for me to get caught on, I was very surprised,’ Schrock shared.
While clinging on for dear life, he heard a voice above him. Looking up, he saw someone in a helicopter who said help was on the way, which was ‘the best news he could ever get’.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro's newsletter or get alerts the moment it happens.
Schrock said it ‘felt like a really precarious situation’ but he was soon saved and rushed to hospital.
‘Life has stayed so still since I got here,’ he shared, having to use an oxygen mask throughout the video to help him breathe.
‘I feel like I’ve been in a weird daze, really struggling to maintain any normalcy. I’m in extreme amounts of pain, my back is broken, my ribs are broken, my sternum is broken.’
The photographer concluded: ”But I wanted to give you guys an update – I am alive, I’m grateful to be alive, grateful to have friends that called the life flight for me, they did an awesome job.’
While he’s vowed to ‘get back out there’, he said: ‘For now, I’ll be here.’
Schrock’s family has also set up a GoFundMe to help pay expenses for medical support and travel back to the US.
‘He has a long road to recovery with travel assistance, rehabilitation and further medical needs in the USA. He will also not be able to work for months,’ the fundraiser said.
‘We’re hoping to ease some of that stress in any way possible with some financial support,’ it continued. ‘Any little bit helps.
‘Keep our guy in your thoughts and prayers please. Hopes of peace in your journey.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
MORE: BA flight from Gatwick declares emergency and U-turns over ‘cracked window’
MORE: Delta plane passengers hospitalised after ‘smoke in the cabin’ forces emergency landing
MORE: British man, 58, found dead near holiday resort in Portugal