In the month of May, the Woolworths team and their customers helped raise an incredible $203,833 for the Flying Doctor in Queensland through their $1 token campaign—all we can say is, thank you!
The generous support of both customers and the Woolworths team will go towards helping saving lives across the state.
Across their 248 stores in Queensland and Northern NSW, Eatons Hill came out on top as the #1 selling token store.
A single dollar might not seem like much, but it can make a world of difference, especially for families like Shannon Smithwick’s.
Shannon was pregnant with twins when her waters broke suddenly at just 31 weeks. “I tried to keep calm and told my husband Dean we needed to get to the hospital right away,” Shannon said.
Shannon was taken to her local hospital in Blackwater, which is 190 kilometres inland from Rockhampton. Staff began monitoring her closely, but the regional hospital was not equipped to meet the needs of premature twins. With Shannon’s labour advancing, it was clear they needed to receive specialist care at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) and so a Royal Flying Doctor Service crew from Bundaberg was dispatched.
On board, Nurse Manager Jackie Hardy, worked to relax Shannon’s contractions. “We picked up Shannon at 2.30 in the morning. She had already had a very long day, so it was important to try and keep her calm and reassure her that we would do our best to get her and her babies safely to Brisbane,” said Jackie.
Shannon arrived safely in Brisbane at 4.30 in the morning and had nothing but praise for the crew that flew her to Brisbane. “The team were fantastic on the flight. They kept me calm while monitoring us closely,” said Shannon.
Once in Brisbane, Shannon’s contractions quickened and at 9.58am and 9.59am, Charlotte and Penny were born via C-section. Charlotte and Penny celebrated their fifth birthday earlier this year and are both happy and healthy beautiful girls going from strength to strength.
“We cannot thank the Royal Flying Doctor Service enough for how much they helped us. The kindness, generosity and care they show for their jobs, their patients, and their patients’ families is outstanding,” said Shannon.
