Our new Cessna 182 got approved just over a month ago to perform in-country flights, but already the plane has been used on a number of missions, and has been to all the runways in Region 1. This past weekend HS flew its first med-evac flight. Little did we know the next few days were going to be busy too! The first day started very early, with the ambulance driver at our gate at 4am, yelling in his big voice: “Darren! We need a med-evac! Check your phone! You have some messages!” We could only take off at official sunrise time which was 5:37am, but we headed out to the plane very early to get things ready. It took some time before the ambulance arrived. In fact they were quite late! We wondered what had happened. We learned afterwards that in the meantime, the ambulance had gone to pick up another patient, a maternity case, who had delivered the baby in the ambulance. Thankfully there were no complications, but it took a little while before everything was ready for loading the next patient! Finally the ambulance arrived with our patient. The middle-aged gentleman needed to be to lying down. We had his seat folded up and the mat rolled out. It was a bowel obstruction. The skies were clear, and we were thankful for the new plane which allowed us to perform this urgent mission. Our first plane was actually grounded due to strange temperature readings on the one cylinder, so if it weren’t for the new plane, we’d have had to turn down the med-evac.
Darren & Joanne Lea – Missionaries in Guyana
The next day we were getting busy doing things around the house when another call came in. “Be prepared for another med-evac”, the Dr advised. This time it was a snakebite case. The venom of the labaria snake causes a number of fatalities in these areas. It wasn’t long after the call came in that I went into the kitchen to prepare lunch. It was then that I noticed something moving along the sink. “Snake!” I called to Darren who was downstairs. We saw its tail sticking out as the rest of it had disappeared under the countertop. We opened the cupboard door to see the creature curled up in a dark corner. We tried to capture it, but it was too fast. We closed the doors and hoped it would retreat the way it came in. I checked that its marking wasn’t the dreaded labaria. Perhaps it was a whip snake. But we didn’t have much time to wonder about the whereabouts of the snake in our kitchen cupboard. The med-evac had been confirmed, and soon the ambulance would be arriving at the plane. The 2nd med-evac in 2 days! The patient had been bitten the previous day. Her foot was already swollen. Thankfully Darren was able to deliver the patient safely to an ambulance in Georgetown, and still have time to turn around. He had early flights the next day out of Mabaruma, our home base.
The morning of the third day was going smoothly. Government officials needed to be flown to nearby Port Kaituma, spend a few hours on the ground, and then be flown to Bemichi for some more meetings, and then brought back to our village. It was during the meetings in Bemichi that Darren let me know there was another med-evac! Another snakebite victim! The government officials wrapped up their meetings and soon our plane took off for the roughly 30-minute flight back. The ambulance was at the runway as our plane landed. It took a little time to re-fuel and get the patient loaded. We didn’t know what her chances of survival were. Already she had been vomiting blood. This time it was the hand that had been bitten. We said a prayer to our Heavenly Father for our patient and for a safe flight, and our blue & yellow plane took to the skies once more.
We are so thankful to all those at Wings of Hope for the many hours of work put into this aircraft. We know that none of these med-evacs would have been possible were it not for the availability of this plane. We are so glad to be a part of this kind of work of making a difference in the lives of others. This is only possible because of the generosity and hard work of many. Thank you so much!
Joanne & Darren Lea
