The Flying Doctor

The day before baby Indi's spectacular arrival aboard an RFDS retrieval flight had been a busy one for the Pawson household. Joelene's son, Jack, had celebrated his fifth birthday with friends and family and the young mum, at 31 weeks pregnant, was feeling understandably 'off'. Maybe the busy mother of three was just dehydrated and over-tired? But when her baby stopped moving, Joelene's hubby insisted they head to the hospital to get her checked out. Within hours, the couple would find themselves boarding an RFDS flight from Orange to Sydney, as their baby girl decided to arrive into the world a LOT earlier than expected. This is the extraordinary story of what happens when Mother Nature takes over and a courageous young mum finds herself a long way from a tertiary hospital.****Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. You can follow this link to find out more about Running for Premature Babies and make sure you also check back in with our upcoming episode #126, when we chat to Running for Premature Babies founder, Sophie Smith. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to podcast@rfds.org.au. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

When Louise Taheny's fifth child was born, she immediately knew something was 'different'. It would take three days before baby Hugo was officially diagnosed with Down Syndrome - a syndrome caused by a random error in cell division that results in an extra copy of chromosome 21. That same day, Louise and her husband John would also learn that the top of Hugo's heart had failed to completely form - a discovery that would ultimately mean two years of 'failure to thrive', until their baby boy was old enough to undergo open heart surgery. Today, the young man now known by his friends and family as 'Hugo Rockstar' has faced a myriad of health challenges throughout his childhood and adolescence. But this is also the story of Hugo's incredible family - and the incredible courage and resiliance of his mother Louise, as she faced the added blow of her older son becoming a paraplegic after a serious car accident and later, dealt with the life-changing repercussions of her husband's debilitating stroke.***Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to podcast@rfds.org.au. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

When a frantic Kate Mitchell ran towards a remote police patrol, with her seemingly lifeless toddler in her arms, she'd already spent over thirty minutes performing CPR and battling poor mobile reception to emergency services. Along with her other son, Harry, and her father-in-law, Kate had made a desperate dash by car to meet the ambulance, knowing that every second counted if 16-month-old Darcy stood any chance of surviving his terrifying Tonic-clonic seizure. Minutes later, a pursuit-trained police officer was behind the wheel of the volunteer-run ambulance, racing the Mitchell family towards Albany - with lights and sirens blaring. Now, some three years on, the Darcy Effect is helping country families from across Australia, to navigate the often frightening and complex world of an unexpected or emergency medical crisis. And as for Darcy? The fit and currently seizure free four-year-old is keeping busy helping his Mum, to pack 'care packs' for other country families, who have suddenly found themselves a long way from home.***Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. You can find out more about the The Darcy Effect here - and watch the super-cute First Aid video for kids, Fangs on the Farm, at "Fangs on the Farm" Episode. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to podcast@rfds.org.au. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Australia's 'Queen of Hearts' was born on the day when Dawn Beaumont brought her mother back to life. Even as her extensive, professional First Aid training kicked in - as Dawn calmly performed CPR on her mum in the middle of a crowded theatre foyer - the experienced health and safety manager grappled with the knowledge that her mother was having a potentially fatal heart attack. With a family history of coronary disease and obesely overweight and a smoker, Janet was (in her daughter's words) 'literally a ticking time bomb'. Thankfully, Janet survived her 2013 health emergency. And now, she's become an integral part of her daughter's epic Duathlon support crew - as Dawn takes on the world-record-breaking challenge of running and riding 20,000km in 200 days to raise 2 million dollars for the Heart Foundation and the RFDS in 2025. Because it takes a true, modern-day Warrior Woman to claim the title of Australia's Queen of Hearts.***Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. You can follow and discover more about Dawn's epic Duathlon journey via her website at Queen of Hearts Run & Ride | running and riding around Australia Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to podcast@rfds.org.au. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

When Veronica suffered a life-threatening bowel obstruction, she was told she had just hours to reach the specialist care she needed to save her life. From the outside, Veronica Croser appears to be a fit and active young Mum with a passion for adventure. If you met her on one of the many remote hiking trails she enjoys exploring, you probably wouldn’t be surprised that this active rural woman also volunteers as a local firefighter for her SA community of Bordertown. But what might surprise you is what’s been happening INSIDE Veronica Croser. This dynamic rural woman has spent a lifetime dealing with the often debilitating and almost always painful effects of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and it’s even more complex cousin, Chrones disease. Yet against all odds – and in much the same way she has successfully tackled some of Australia’s most remote bushland tracks and mountain walks - Veronica has tackled her ill-health with an incredible combination of inner strength, self-determination and incredible courage. Veronica Croser is living proof that you can’t always judge a book by its cover. ***Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to podcast@rfds.org.au. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

From chewing fibrous plants in Uganda to treating indigenous communities in the mountains of Peru, RFDS Senior Dentist Dr Vaibhav Garg has experienced his fair share of oral health adventures during his career. But it is the time 'Dr Vai' has spent in some of Australia's most remote and isolated communities that he credits most, for inspiring him to make remote oral health care his life's work. And it was a tiny, WA wheat belt town called Wongan Hills, that became a pivotal sliding doors moment for a young dentist simply wanting to 'make a difference'. Having recently been named the Rural Health Pros' Rural/ Remote Health Professional of the Year, Dr Vai has big plans for the future of outback oral health care. **** Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated.  You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to podcast@rfds.org.au. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.