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Sam Woodhead, 18, was like every other backpacker in Australia until he became stranded in the Outback. Now while most Brits dreaming of travelling and enjoying the exotic cultures around the world would confess they enjoy a little liquid refreshment, very few will confess to it being a matter of life and death, even fewer will tell you that the drink in question was not alcoholic. Sam however, found himself stranded in the wilderness, facing imminent death, with only a bottle of contact lens solution to keep him hydrated.
Having suffered and survived a truly horrendous ordeal over the span of three days in roasting temperatures, the young teenage Brit made headlines the world over when he was found alive, but only just in the Australian Outback following a backpacking expedition that went very, very wrong. The biggest problem facing the quickly deteriorating young man was a dangerous lack of fluids after he became lost during his trek. As well as being forced to drink his own urine to survive before rescuers found him, similar to events that unfolded for another thrill seeker in the US not too long ago that was highlighted in the Danny Boyle Hollywood movie, 127 Hours, Sam's only other source of hydration was his contact lens saline solution which he drank as his last resort.
It certainly came as a surprise and relief to his family that young Sam was rescued and flown to safety from a simply desperate situation that appeared to be unfolding.