Husband Survives 9 Days Lost in Wilderness without Diabetes Medication

When 61-year-old Troy Milne set out to pick up a few camping supplies in rural Australia, he never imagined he’d vanish for more than a week — or that lighting a fire would ultimately save his life.

The diabetic camper disappeared on October 7 after leaving a remote campsite in Victoria’s Gippsland region. His wife reported him missing when he didn’t return that night, triggering a massive search that would span hundreds of square miles.

“I thought I was a dead duck in the water,” Milne later told 9News Australia from his hospital bed. “My sugar level dropped. I would’ve gone into a coma. I just drank water from a creek and prayed someone would find me.”

Milne’s ordeal began when his Jeep Wrangler bottomed out on an unmarked dirt road, stranding him miles from the nearest town. He had no food, no phone signal, and—most dangerously—no access to his diabetes medication.

According to investigators, surveillance footage showed Milne visiting a store in a nearby town on October 7. Hours later, he appeared at a service station looking confused and asking for directions. It was the last confirmed sighting before he vanished into the wilderness.

For nine days, Milne survived on creek water, sleeping rough in the bush as temperatures dropped. With his body weakening, he said he realized he had only one chance left: fire.

“I just thought, ‘If I don’t do something now, that’s it,’” Milne recalled. “So I lit a fire and hoped someone would see the smoke.”

Around 5 p.m. on October 16, emergency crews received reports of a brush fire in the region. When they arrived, they discovered Milne — dehydrated, disoriented, but miraculously alive — sitting near the smoldering flames beside his disabled Jeep.

“Dave, you saved my life. You saved my life, mate,” Milne told paramedic Dave Jones as rescuers loaded him into a helicopter bound for a Melbourne hospital.

Victoria Police Acting Inspector Kris Hamilton said the case was “a miracle in every sense.”

“Troy was without his medication for a long period, which left him disoriented and confused,” Hamilton said. “We believe he turned off the highway at some point and became lost in the bush. It was a huge search area, and we really feared the worst.”

Wellington Police Inspector Wayne Rothwell agreed, calling Milne’s survival “nothing short of remarkable.”

“To be able to contact Troy’s family and give them the fantastic news was a wonderful result,” Rothwell said.

Doctors say Milne’s survival is almost unheard of for a Type 2 diabetic deprived of insulin for that long. “Nine days without medication could have easily been fatal,” said Dr. Stephen Hodge, an emergency physician in Melbourne not involved with Milne’s care. “Hydration alone likely saved him.”

As Milne recovers in the hospital, he’s reflecting on how close he came to death — and what kept him going.

“I just kept thinking about my wife,” he said softly. “I wasn’t going to let her down. I had to find a way back.”