On Saturday, workers successfully drilled through the last bit of bedrock which separate 33 men from their families and loved ones. Now, after 68 days within the depths of earth, the trapped Chilean miners are only hours away from rescue.
Above ground at the mine site, there have been religious services, prayers, tears and cheers by the families of the trapped miners, who have been waiting more than nine weeks for their salvation. But below ground, miners have been preparing both physically and mentally for the claustrophobic, half-mile trip back to the surface, back to sunlight, and back to civilization. Chile has spared no expense in the efforts to ensure all the men emerge safely, having provided over the weekend a care package for the men that included aspirin to prevent blood clots, as well as a special drink to keep their stomachs settled during the dizzying trip up.
At some point within the next 24 hours, 2 Navy medical doctors will be lowered into the mine to verify the overall health of the miners in preparation for their journey back home. Then, utilizing a predetermined list, the miners will be raised to the surface one by one. Officials are concerned about a variety of health issues the miners could experience in the lonely solitude of the rescue capsule, including acute hypertension, sudden drops in blood pressure, blood clotting, or motion sickness due to the speed of the ascent to the surface. As a precaution, the miners will wear compression socks and a special girdle to prevent blood clotting. They will also go on a special high-calorie liquid diet prepared and donated by NASA for the final six hours before being removed. Since the rescue capsule is expected to rotate 350 degrees at least 10 to 12 times through curves in the 28-inch-diameter escape hole, the liquid-only diet is to prevent nausea.
Officials say their biggest concern is panic attacks during the approx. 15 minute ride to the surface in complete darkness. To combat that, each miner will wear a special oxygen mask that is outfitted with a cellular-like communication device should they need to alert authorities if anything goes wrong. The rescue capsule will also be outfitted with a night-vision camera to monitor the miners during the entire trip. Once above ground, each miner will be given special wrap-around eye goggles to shield their eyes from the sun, which would be near blinding for them after 9 weeks in the darkness of underground. They will then be immediately whisked away to a waiting hospital for a complete medical examination, prior to being reunited with their families. A team of psychologists will also be on hand to ease the men back into normal life, and to prepare them for the expected onslaught of media and journalists, who are anxiously waiting for a chance to conduct a plethora of television, radio, and print interviews.
Originally, officials were expecting the miners to be trapped well beyond Christmas. But now these same officials are calling it a miracle that more than 2 months early, rescue day is finally here!
