Mission 250

Mission 249 | View All Mission Reports | Mission 251

Departure:
Molene, Illinois

Arrival:
Paris, Illinois

Date:
Tuesday July 23, 2013

Mission Video

Mission 250: Galesburg to Paris

Mission Report

Becky G is 54 years old and diagnosed with ALS this spring. She had a rare very aggressive form that wiped out most of her functioning muscles and she began to need assistance from Bipap machine for breathing. Her husband wanted her to spend the rest of her days as full as she could and he took her in their RV to visit family in Northern Illinois.

She unfortunately became unresponsive and was taken to the local hospital where her machine was adjusted. Her wishes were to not be on a ventilator with a tube in throat. The doctors told them she was “end stage” and they should prepare for the end. Her only wish was to get back home to Paris Illinois to say her goodbyes to her kids and grandkids over 200 miles away.

The ground cost of a critical care transport that far was over $8,000 and our cost was under $3,000 and a lot less bumpy and we transport for a different reason. When we arrived to get her she was only able to move her R fingers and eyebrows and her breathing was very labored.

She was complaining of leg pain and her husband said she was very anxious so we decided to give her a little pain medicine. Unfortunately that was enough to stop her breathing and we had to reverse it.

It was very hard to see her struggle for each breath even with the pressure support. Her machine did not have a battery and when we transported her from bed to ambulance, we used an ambu-bag to assist her breathing. We did the same to get into the aircraft but each time we would put her back on the machine she struggled.

It was very hard to watch but we wanted her last wish of leaving this world when God decided to stop her ability to breathe to be honored. We arrived to the hospital with her husband and she was placed on a very comfortable air bed. Her husband worked at the hospital and all the nursing staff knew her. What a blessing for them to be the ones caring for her in her last days.

Her family had contacted the local news because they were so thankful for our mission. We didn’t know we were going to be on camera until we were in the air. The news did a great story on her flight and our mission!

She did pass peacefully the next day and we are so grateful to be able to meet this wonderful family. We pray for their comfort and especially to her son that is deployed on a submarine and unable to come home.

Thanks for the caring ground ambulance crew and to our volunteers Dr. Jim, Hal, Kim and Danielle.

Tam

 

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