Ham Radio Enthusiast Gets Wrong-Number Call from a Friend 500 Miles Away and Saves His Life

A man living in Oregon was able to get help from his radio enthusiast buddy living miles away in California. Due to his erratic and panicky voice, his friend's wife was able to decipher that he was indeed suffering a stroke.

Friendships are sometimes forged under the most unlikely circumstances, which can help strengthen them all the more. However, having friends with mutual interests is something truly special, and so is the feeling of helping your buddy in need.

The story of California's Bill Scott and Oregon's Skip Kritcher will inspire you to look at the miraculous power of friendship from a completely different perspective.

Kritcher was a radio amateur from Oregon. He was friends with a fellow radio enthusiast, Bill, who lived in California and had been a radio operator for over 40 years. Bill had connected to several people worldwide, including the Space Station.

The two men had become friends over their shared love of ham radios and made sure their little radio was always with them wherever they went, including family excursions, social events, and even daily walks.

It was just a usual day for Kritcher when suddenly he felt bad. He then dialed his buddy Bill's number by mistake, only to realize later what he had actually done.

On the other side, Bill was having a normal day communicating through his ham radio when he received an unexpected call in June 2021. At first, he thought someone was trying to prank him. Talking about his experience, he shared:

"I thought it was a prank call at first and so then after we finally established, he said ‘You are an amateur radio operator,’ and I said ‘Yeah’, then it all started coming together (sic)."

After a little conversation, Bill was able to figure out who was calling him. His wife, Sharon Scott, who was a retired nurse with 60 years of experience, immediately helped him realize what was really wrong with his friend.

As it turned out, Kritcher was in a medical emergency, which was the precise reason why his voice had sounded so skewed on the call. Sharon also provided more details on what came to pass that day:

“The speech that he [Kritcher] had was slurred, and my husband couldn’t seem to keep him on task. Just a miracle that he called the wrong number and got us (sic)."

When Bill found out about his friend's condition, he freaked out a little because he didn't want to lose him. However, he and Sharon quickly dialed 911 and directed the medical staff to Kritcher's house.

Fortunately, the Scotts had visited Kritcher's house and knew the address too well, so they provided exact details to the responders, which helped save his life. He was then rushed to the hospital. Kritcher also recalled:

“I couldn’t see the numbers too good on the cell phone and I wound up pushing the button and calling Bill (sic)."

Moreover, he also added that the Scotts were incredible people, and he was glad he had called them. The EMT told Sharon that had Kritcher not reached the hospital in time, he would have risked losing his life.

While Kritcher had impaired vision and a timeline to recover from the effects of his stroke, he owes his life to his life-long buddy Bill and his wife, Sharon. The two friends continue to communicate through ham radios, inspiring the world with their amazing story.