Hunter’s Stories

“I Would Not be Alive Today if Not for Hunter” by Ilana Dunn

I’ll never forget the day I got the phone call telling me Hunter Watson had died. I was home sitting at the dinner table with my parents. We all broke down.

My parents had never met Hunter, and at the time I couldn’t have told you much about him. Regardless, we did know the world had just lost one of its most remarkable people.

I had only met Hunter once. It was the night that he saved my life.

I literally wouldn’t be here today if not for Hunter’s kindness and courage. It’s hard for me to talk about what happened, but if sharing my story helps others see how good he was and encourages people to lend their support to the charity that bears his name, I’m happy to tell it a hundred times and more.

One night during my senior year of college, I had been out drinking with friends and I decided to go to another bar alone. It was December in Syracuse, NY. The next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital.

I had suffered from severe hypothermia. My body temperature had been so low that if I had stayed in the cold another 10 minutes, I would have died. The doctors said that someone found me and put me in his car to warm up and get me home. When he realized how much I needed help, he called an ambulance to take me to the hospital.

That someone was Hunter Watson. He asked to remain anonymous—he didn’t want a reward or accolades. I later learned through a mutual friend that it was Hunter, and I am so grateful that I was later able to thank Hunter for what he did.

Now, I am so proud to be doing something in his honor – serving on the Founders’ Committee for the Hunter Watson Memorial Fund. There’s a beautiful serendipity to it all.

I have learned so much about myself in the years since that cold night in Syracuse. I’ve learned to be passionate about life and to pursue the things that really get me up in the morning. That’s what the Hunter Watson Fund is all about . . . helping fuel young people’s passions by providing grants to help them pursue their dreams. There’s nothing short of amazing and incredible about the young people who we are helping. They are doing incredibly important and unique things with their lives.

At the end of the day, what happened to me could happen to anyone. Rather than letting this experience slow me down and hold me back, I have pushed myself to be a better person. I became someone who looks out for others… just like Hunter did for me. It’s the least I can do . . . and wouldn’t the world be a lot better if more people did that?

- Ilana Dunn