Life Saving Stories

Willy was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic neuroblastoma (a really rare cancer) when he was just 4.

Mark Sullivan is lucky to be alive. The pilot – a man of faith and courage – shares his story of rescue and recovery.

When Mum, Zowie, got a tummy ache at 29 weeks pregnant she certainly didn’t think that she’d be meeting her baby so soon. But, with no space in Christchurch Hospital a trip to Wellington was an unexpected journey for them first.

After her lung spontaneously collapsed for the third time, Virginia needed treatment at Christchurch Hospital but couldn’t fly commercially because of her diagnosis. The New Zealand Flying Doctor Service was able to ensure that she was safe during her flight and got her operation.

At 10 days old, little Beauden was rushed to Southland Hospital as he was vomiting bilious fluid and not thriving. Within 24 hours he had deteriorated even further to a critical point, and he needed to get to Christchurch Hospital as soon as possible. The New Zealand Flying Doctor plane was sent, and he arrived by 9pm to be rushed in for life saving bowel surgery. His final diagnosis was Malrotation and Volvulous, an abnormality of the bowel where the blood supply had been cut off.

After a medical incident at the wheel, the Byrne family narrowly avoided two head-on collisions and their car left the road at 127kms and then rolled six times across a paddock. By some miracle they were alive, and their fate was now in the hands of the Rescue Helicopter Service and New Zealand Flying Doctors.

Becka was 27 weeks pregnant when she started to feel unwell; at Greymouth Hospital she was diagnosed with swine flu. Becka was put in an induced coma prior to taking her to Christchurch Hospital, where she spent the next week.