Marieke Noordhoek, wife to MAF PNG pilot Corné Noordhoek recently had a chance to join her husband on a very special flight request. Marieke tells the story of a journey with cultural signifiance.
Just an ordinary weekday afternoon and Corné's phone rings…
It’s the MAF booking office. They say that a medical evacuation needs to be flown. "Do you have time?" is the question. "Of course, that's why we're here, right?" answered Corné.
Since the children were at a birthday party that afternoon, I was able to come along; It would be my first time on a medical evacuation flight. It was already noon, and that meant a higher chance of bad weather, so we hurried to the airport. Meanwhile, we received more information about the patient. A terminally ill 28-year-old man needed to be flown back to his own village in a remote area. He was very sick and unresponsive. He was going back home with his wife and toddler to pass away close to his family.
We hope and pray that this man and his family have experienced God's care for them
After the patient was placed on a stretcher on the floor of the plane and the passengers’ safety briefing and prayer was said, we took off. The weather looked calm, and we hoped to reach the destination in about 20 minutes. The atmosphere was somewhat somber in the plane, but there was also a certain relief that the sick man could still go home. It's important in PNG to be buried in your own village, and because of the service MAF provides, this would be possible.
As we left the valley where our Mount Hagen base is located and climbed over the mountain ridge towards the destination, the weather changed rapidly. Not ready to give up yet, Corné flew towards another airstrip close to the final destination, only to realise that he didn’t have enough visibility to fly into the mountainous area beyond it. He then tried another route to reach the village, but the visibility there was also poor. The safety of the passengers and the plane had to come first.
It was obviously very disappointing for us, but even more so for the passengers, to return to Mount Hagen without accomplishing our mission. The flight was rescheduled for the next morning. Fortunately, the ambulance was still at the airport, and the patient could return to the hospital to stay for another night.
The next morning, the weather was beautiful. To our great relief, the patient had made it through the night well. Corné flew the man home to spend his final days with his family and friends. We hope and pray that this man and his family have experienced God's care for them through this final flight home.