This Christmas, your support is urgently needed to equip RFDS aeromedical crews with life-saving Procedure Packs.
Help prevent an accident from becoming a tragedy
Seven-year-old Asher was left with three small, but deep wounds in her knee after a close encounter with what her parents, Ryan and Niki, thought to be a small dead shark. Somehow it had survived for hours outside the water, and suddenly started thrashing.
In the blink of an eye, a family adventure became a nightmare.
Ryan and Niki thought Asher might need stitches, but they only discovered later it was far more serious. Tropical waters carry a high risk of infection and, in the worst-case scenario, a wound can turn septic and lead to the loss of a limb.
Asher was in Lockhart River, over 700km from the nearest hospital or a 10-hour journey by road. On board the RFDS aircraft, Asher made the journey quickly, safely and under medical supervision.
Niki thought the worst was over, but the biggest scare was yet to come. In the early hours, Asher collapsed. The shark’s razor sharp teeth had nicked an artery and she was rushed into theatre for an emergency surgery.
“If we’d still been in Lockhart River or out on the open water, the outcome could have been so much worse,” says Niki.
This Christmas, we need to raise $465,000 to equip the Flying Doctor’s aeromedical crews with life-saving supplies.
Procedure Packs are full of essential medical supplies. They have everything RFDS aeromedical crews might need in an emergency, such as anaesthetic gel, gauze and a wound stapler.
In addition to stocking aircraft with the $517 Procedure Packs, our aeromedical crews also need specialist medical equipment that can transform our aircraft into an Intensive Care Unit in the sky. From heart monitors to ventilators, you can help purchase everything the Flying Doctor needs to support a critically ill patient.
But we can’t do it without you. Please make a donation by 25 December.
