When Michelle’s son Rowan didn’t wake up one morning during a road trip to explore Western Queensland’s Channel Country, she knew her only hope would be to call the Flying Doctor.
Michelle was travelling with her two children, Maeve (4) and Rowan (18-months), through Eulo, Quilpie and Welford National Park to explore various landscapes for her latest art project.
Michelle was no stranger to remote travel and had spent weeks prior to the trip planning and packing for life on-the-road with kids, but nothing could have prepared her for when Rowan got sick.
“Rowan had an ongoing cough and we thought we better get it checked out before driving another five hours to Diamantina National Park,” Michelle said.
Knowing there would be no hospitals close by Michelle used her satellite phone to message her mother to find the closest medical centre.
They drove to Windorah, stayed the night, and planned to go to the RFDS Windorah Primary Health Care Centre the next morning.
“Rowan didn’t wake up that morning,” Michelle said.
“He was feverous and very unwell, so we were very glad we were on our way to the clinic.
“The nurse was very concerned about him and within half an hour they had booked us on a RFDS flight to Charleville Hospital.”
Michelle and Rowan were driven to a dirt airstrip where they watched the Flying Doctor land.
“It was really humbling to be there when the RFDS aircraft arrived, knowing that was all for Rowan,” she said.
As soon as RFDS Nurse Manager Jo Mahony arrived, she checked Rowan’s heart rate and breathing, and was concerned Rowan could have a serious condition like meningitis or sepsis.
“If I had been told to get in my car and drive five hours to the nearest hospital that would have been a terrifying trip to make with my sick child,” Michelle said.
“Instead, we were put on an aircraft where a medical team could monitor him and care for him until we got to the hospital.
“The RFDS is a game changer, services like this shift the equity in rural healthcare.
“We are so grateful this service exists because I don’t know what we’d have done otherwise.”
The family stayed in Charleville for a week where Rowan made a full recovery.
Today, an RFDS aircraft is deployed every 23 minutes to help deliver the finest care to the furthest corner with the help from our Operations Control Centre (OCC).
To help the Flying Doctor coordinate more life-saving aeromedical retrievals, like Rowan’s, please make a tax-deductible donation towards our new purpose-built OCC at the new Brisbane Super Base.
