As I was preparing for my weekly live mission flight report, two emergency medevac requests came in at the same time.The first came from an isolated island about 4 hours from the airbase. The hospital there lacked the ability to perform a cesarean section. The laboring mother was not progressing as expected and there was concern that she would need to be transported to a higher level of care. The second request came from an area about an hour and twenty minutes from us. It was for a young woman from Spain who had sustained a diving complication and need to be airlifted.
Who should help? I had to make a difficult decision. The weather conditions for reaching the mother were concerning, and it would take approximately 4 hours to get to her island and the doctor had yet to confirm her condition and whether or not the baby was in any distress. In contrast, the young woman from Spain was only 1 hour and 20 minutes away with no weather issues. A call from the Spain consulate here in the Philippines prompted a quick response to their request. “Captain, she is unstable and commercial flights cannot accept her on board because of her condition” they reported. I was apprehensive because of the gravity of the situation yet I reminded myself that I am a servant of God first of all and that this plane is really a miracle airplane. Setting aside my nervousness, I set out to perform my duty as a missionary pilot.
Returning to the base after our first mission, I checked on the pending medevac case – the laboring mother on the remote island. I praised God for his divine guidance and direction as I read the words, “The baby has been delivered safely.”
PAMAS is pleased to extend our services to ALL people regardless of race or their social, religious, or financial status. It was such a pleasure to be able to save a life and help a person in need. The parents of the young woman from Spain have expressed their great appreciation of the assistance we provided to their daughter.
This is merely a sample of a day in the life of a PAMAS pilot. Opportunities such as these are what keep me going. They are the reason I get up in the morning.
