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With the end of the year just around the corner, you may be daydreaming about jet-setting to your next beach break, outdoor adventure or family fun day.
While you're planning your holidays, LifeFlight crews are preparing to spend their own Christmas away from loved ones, to be on standby for what is the busiest, most critical time of year.
LifeFlight aeromedical crews know how a fun summer day can quickly morph into a critical care emergency in the blink of an eye. They are ready to fly to any call, whether it’s a car accident, activity-based injury like hiking or boating, or moving a patient from one hospital to another.
Nestled in the heart of Brisbane Airport’s aeromedical precinct, LifeFlight’s Brisbane base and crew service an area far beyond the city’s sprawling suburbs. They airlift patients across all of Southeast Queensland, from as far north as Bundaberg, down to the Gold Coast, and as far west Roma.
One of those patients was twelve-year-old Felicity Kennedy, who lives in the Scenic Rim. Her and her family recently visited LifeFlight’s Brisbane base, where she was reunited with the crew who airlifted her after her accident.
Earlier this year Felicity was having a blast on Australia Day playing on a 120-metre-long slip-n-slide with her friends and family when her leg got tangled up, and she snapped her femur.
“When I was getting out of the water, I tried to walk and I couldn’t,” Felicity said. “A friend carried me out and then we saw my leg. It was bent like a banana.”
Felicity’s mother Katie Kennedy said her daughter was a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Brisbane’s Queensland Children’s Hospital and screaming in pain. When Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics and LifeFlight’s critical care doctor arrived on scene, they immediately administered Felicity pain relief to prepare for the flight to hospital.
“Her pain was unbelievable,” Katie said. “It means everything to have a service like LifeFlight available. It would have been a very uncomfortable, bumpy ride without the trip in the chopper.”
“When I found out the LifeFlight chopper was coming, I knew I was going to be safe,” Felicity said.
Meeting her crew was a special moment for Felicity and her family, as they were able to thank them for the care and support they’d provided them on such a difficult day.
The summer holidays from November to January are LifeFlight’s busiest time of year, with a peak in primary missions during the two-week Christmas break.
“We find that we are tasked with more accident missions around Christmas. We fly to scenes like Felicity’s where people have injured themselves,” said Felicity's pilot Tyson Pearce, who has been flying for LifeFlight for close to a decade.
LifeFlight crews spend time away from their own families during the holidays to be there for Queenslanders who need the very best aeromedical care. “It’s always rewarding saving people, we all feel proud of doing our job and helping our communities during the Christmas holidays is special,” said Tyson.
Felicity’s leg pin comes out at the end of November, and it’s expected she’ll be healed just before Australia Day. She's looking forward to being back to her normal self and continuing horse-riding competitions.
If you’re passing through Brisbane Airport over the holidays, keep an eye out for the LifeFlight helicopters, and know that their crews are ready to provide critical care, no matter where. You can support LifeFlight crews this Christmas by donating here.