Participants: Narrator: Chet Damron
Series Code: OTG
Program Code: OTG000041A
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00:01 Narrator: Adventist World Aviation has mission outposts
00:04 stationed all around the world with the mission of brining 00:08 humanitarian aid and the love of Jesus, 00:11 too difficult to reach areas. 00:15 Often the missions keep very busy flying med-evac flights, 00:19 delivering critically ill patients from remote jungles 00:22 to a place where they can receive a higher level of care. 00:26 These flights are not only lifesaving, but they share 00:31 the love of Jesus and bring hope to the hopeless. 00:36 Jud: Nicaragua, is a very unique project as are most of 00:40 AWA projects. 00:41 Projects, they are in areas, where access is limited. 00:45 They are in places where they are serving people, 00:47 who have unique needs for access to medicine. 00:53 Have unique needs as far as transportation. 00:55 And the airplane is able to provide that service to those 00:59 people in a very special way. 01:02 It has a huge impact on the lives of the people 01:05 living in these areas. 01:06 You see this project meets the needs of the Miskito people 01:10 in a wide variety of ways. 01:58 Narrator: One of Adventist World Aviation's outposts is situated 02:02 in the northeastern corner of Nicaragua. 02:05 Here Clint Hanley and his family dedicate their lives 02:09 to serving the local Miskito Indians. 02:12 Clint: I'm Clint Hanley and I live in northeast Nicaragua, 02:17 in the upper corner along the boarder of the Rio Cocoa 02:21 with the border of Honduras and I live here with my family, 02:27 2 children and my wife, who is a nurse 02:29 and we fly this airplane, a Cessna 172. 02:33 For medical work all around this region, 02:38 covering about 150 miles in all directions. 02:42 Narrator: Clint and his wife Marilyn live in Tronquera, 02:45 Nicaragua on a mission base, that they constructed themselves 02:49 over 10 years ago. 02:52 In the beginning, there was no infrastructure to support 02:55 any communications, or medical evacuations. 02:59 After a few years of hard work, the Hanley's 03:02 procured an air plane, built a runway themselves 03:05 and successfully implemented the only humanitarian aid 03:10 aviation service in the country. 03:13 This airplane is the first and only aircraft that flies medical 03:17 evacuations from remote villages and delivers patients 03:20 to a larger town called Puerto Cabezas. 03:24 Clint: Since we started flying 7 years ago, I have flown 530 03:28 patients from remote communities or from hospital to hospital 03:32 and approximately 50-80% of those would have, 03:37 the doctors say, would have died for sure, 03:39 had they not had transport. 03:41 The rest of them needed transport, because they were 03:44 in great pain, they had broken femurs 03:47 or something like that. 03:48 That if they would have transported by road it would 03:50 have been a lot worse for them, but they probably 03:53 wouldn't have died. 03:54 So it's been a big help to the people and we're happy 03:57 to be a small part of it. 03:58 Before we came, the people got to the hospital by boats, 04:01 by road, by truck. 04:02 To give you an example, to fly from here to San Carlos 04:06 is 35 minutes for me, to get them to the hospital 04:10 from the time I get the call, until they actually arrive 04:13 in the hospital is approximately one and a half hours. 04:15 If they were to take a boat, there's no roads so they would 04:19 have to take a boat, there's an average of one boat a day, 04:23 but sometimes there will be a day or two or three, that go by 04:25 that there's no boats. They're random. 04:26 And the boats take 12 hours. And usually they leave 04:30 in the morning. 04:31 So if the accident happens later in the day, they're having 04:34 to wait through the night, until the next morning and then hoping 04:36 that they can find a boat with room in it, then they ride that 04:39 boat 12 hours to get to the hospital. 04:40 That's fairly average for a lot of the patients that need 04:44 to come to the hospital. 04:46 So you can see where if it's a snake bite, a lot of the people 04:49 we carry out pregnant mothers and babies and either 04:52 the pregnancy has a problem, or the mothers has had the baby 04:55 right away or there's a complication 04:56 between the mother and the baby. 04:58 About 70% of our transports are related to that. 05:02 Narrator: It took many years of working with government 05:05 officials, but Clint was finally able to win their trust. 05:34 Clint: There is none, none other available in all of Nicaragua 05:37 doing this. 05:39 And so it's a vital piece of help that the government 05:43 and no other aid agency was able to offer to the people 05:47 to save lives in transport. 05:50 Narrator: Clint is now well known amongst the natives 05:52 of this region, everyone knows that they can call on him 05:56 when they are in need, or have an emergency. 06:00 Relationships like these aren't easy to develop but the Hanley's 06:05 have lived here for 10 years, and the natives have come 06:08 to accept the missionaries, as their own Miskito people. 06:14 Travel in this region of Nicaragua is very difficult. 06:17 This region is covered with thick lush jungles 06:22 and winding rivers. 06:24 Road systems were never fully developed here. 06:27 This makes transportation tough. Natives travel in large 06:32 over packed buses or by river. 06:36 A trip that would take a 1.5 hour flight, would take 06:39 2 or 3 days, if they were to travel by land. 06:43 Often land travel isn't possible simply because there are 06:46 no road systems to reach many of the remote areas 06:51 These Miskito Indians live in isolation. 06:54 When an emergency occurs, many don't survive mild injuries 06:59 simply because they cannot reach medical care. 07:06 In this part of Central America, passengers often ride on top 07:10 of a fully loaded cargo bus, which is a common yet dangerous 07:15 mode of transportation. 07:17 Today, Clint gets word that one of these cargo buses overturned 07:21 in a ditch and many of its passengers were badly wounded, 07:26 some killed. 07:27 Clint: So it's Dr Zunigate in Waspam, and he has a child 07:33 with some brain trouble. 07:35 And they need to go to Managua. 07:37 So what I do in this case is transfer him from the hospital 07:40 in Waspam to Puerto Cabezas. 07:42 Narrator: Clint immediately sprints into action and travels 07:45 by car the hour journey to the nearest medical facility. 07:50 This hospital has very few supplies and they have no way 07:53 of providing care for critically injured individuals. 07:58 This medical facility can treat simple wounds, but they have 08:02 no way of helping the critically injured. 08:05 Many of the workers at the hospital know Clint well. 08:08 He flies med-evacs for them almost on a weekly basis. 08:13 Clint asks to see the worst patient, so he can arrange 08:16 transport to Puerto Cabezas. 08:19 Clint: And the person that we're going to transport tomorrow, 08:21 we're going to take, they said they have a fracture 08:24 of their skull, and something in their, microcephaly or something 08:28 I don't know exactly what it is. 08:30 But they say that they have stabilized him, but they need 08:33 transport into Managua for surgery. 08:35 And they can't be transported by road because 08:37 they are too fragile. 08:38 So they can't, that there is no plane leaving Puerto Cabezas 08:42 until tomorrow, so they have stabilized him and they are 08:45 keeping him here until they are ready to meet 08:47 the airplane in Port. 08:50 Narrator: The workers inform Clint that there is a 08:53 2 year old boy, who has a skull fracture and they suspect 08:58 that he has a concussion. 09:00 He drifts in and out of consciousness. 09:04 Clint talks to his nurse and tries to get more information 09:07 about the boy. 09:11 Clint: Yesterday there was an accident in a truck 09:13 that rolled over. 09:17 The truck came from a small town and the truck rolled. 09:24 And it was a very bad accident, and that's why we are 09:27 transferring him. 09:28 And so they need a specialist in Port to be able 09:31 to take care of him. 09:32 He has a concussion. They suspect that there is 09:34 a fractured skull. 09:36 And there is no specialist brain surgeons anywhere on this coast, 09:40 the Atlantic coast to be able to check. 09:41 So he has to go to Managua to have specialty brain surgery 09:44 to check why he's having these convolutions and problems. 09:48 That's why his arms are tied, because he's having convolutions 09:50 and problems with that. 09:52 Narrator: The hospital in Puerto Cabezas, where Clint usually 09:55 takes his patients is not equipped to handle 09:58 an injury of this severity. 10:00 Clint and his medical staff make arrangements to have this 10:04 patient flown to the capital city of Managua. 10:08 This is unfortunate news because it means they will not be able 10:12 to make the trip today. 10:14 They must wait until tomorrow to fly this patient 10:17 to receive the care he so desperately needs. 10:22 Early the next morning, Clint prepares to leave and collect 10:26 his awaiting patient, a young 2 year old boy, who was crushed 10:31 under an over turned cargo bus. 10:34 Before he can take off, he must first inspect his aircraft 10:38 and do a preflight inspection. 10:40 This procedure requires Clint to look over every part 10:44 of the aircraft, as well check the oil and fuel. 10:48 It's important to make sure everything is fully operational 10:51 before they begin any flight. 10:53 Ones the plane is cleared for flight, Clint taxies from the 10:57 hangar to the runway. 10:59 Clint and his family cleared and constructed this runway 11:02 8 years ago. 11:04 Having the hangar and runway just steps away from the Hanley 11:07 home, expedites the med-evac process. 11:12 Clint now does a run-up to to make sure the engine 11:14 and avionics are all running properly. 11:17 He has an electronic pre-flight checklist, that he goes through, 11:20 before he makes each flight. 11:22 Safety and protocol are extremely important, 11:26 when it comes to aviation. 11:28 Clint takes no short cuts, when it comes to safety. 11:40 Pressure is good. Charging. Suctions good. Set to go. 11:47 Narrator: Everything seems to be in order and Clint is ready 11:50 to take off and head to Waspam to pick up his very sick patient 11:56 Brendell helps his father by clearing the runway. 11:59 Today, there are a few wild horses that wondered 12:02 onto the runway to graze. 12:10 Well, once the runway is cleared Clint guides this plane down 12:13 the gravel runway and races off into the skies. 12:31 It's a short flight to Waspam. The skies look promising today. 12:36 This is a familiar journey for Clint; many of his patients 12:40 must be picked up from Waspam and taken to Puerto Cabezas. 14:16 Narrator: Today's flight is the only option of transportation 14:19 for this young boy. 14:20 If he were to travel by road, he would likely have to travel 14:24 in a similar bus that he had his accident in. 14:28 Additionally, the roads are terribly bad, 14:31 riddled with potholes. 14:33 This young boy, who has a fractured skull and likely 14:37 a brain injury, would have to bounce down an incredibly 14:41 bad dirt road for over five hours. 14:46 This journey would definitely worsen his condition 14:49 and potentially end his life. 14:53 But thank God, this young boy won't have to risk 14:56 land travel today. 14:58 Adventist World Aviation is honored to provide lifesaving 15:02 med-evac flights in difficult to reach areas of the world. 15:07 Just by looking out the window of the aircraft, one can easily 15:10 see how rural and thick the jungle is here. 15:16 There are no roads visible and often villagers have to travel 15:20 down a slow winding river to reach aid. 15:24 But with lifesaving flights, the patient can be brought 15:28 to the aid they so desperately need. 15:46 Narrator: Soon the sight of Waspam comes into view. 15:49 This town is used as a port since it is situated 15:53 on the Rio Cocoa River. 15:56 They do have a small runway that is mostly only used by Clint. 16:00 Because the runway doesn't have constant air traffic control, 16:03 the locals don't observe safety guidelines and use the runway 16:08 as part of their daily road system. 16:11 People drive, walk and let their livestock graze on the runway. 16:16 So for this reason, Clint makes a pass over the runway first 16:19 and flies low to the ground to scare off anyone that might be 16:23 on the runway. 16:26 He then turns the aircraft around and approaches 16:29 for final decent. 16:46 This runway is very narrow and not very well maintained 16:48 by the town. Clint must fully concentrate on his landing 16:52 to make sure he stays on the narrow path. 17:03 Clint skillfully brings the aircraft down and makes contact 17:07 with the gravel. 17:09 He has arrived safely to collect his patient. 17:13 Thankfully, the ambulance is waiting at the gate and is ready 17:16 to load the young boy. 17:17 The ambulance pulls up next to the plane. 17:20 There's a surprise when the rear doors of the ambulance opens; 17:25 why there are 2 young patients that need emergency med-evacs. 17:28 The nurse carrying the unconscious young boy is first 17:32 to get out of the ambulance. 17:34 But there is another patient, a scared young girl 17:38 with a broken femur and a broken back. 17:41 Due to the severity of her fractures, she cannot physically 17:46 endure the pain of land transportation. 17:50 Her frail back won't allow for that dangerous journey by truck. 17:56 Military personnel struggle getting her into the aircraft, 17:59 will be very tricky and they must load her 18:02 with the utmost care. 18:04 She is terribly frightened, and it is quite evident, 18:08 that she is in enormous pain. 18:12 A nurse will accompany the 2 children since there isn't 18:14 enough room to take family members along 18:17 in this small aircraft. 18:19 The nurse must also monitor the condition of the small boy 18:22 during flight. 18:25 So, ever so carefully, Clint helps the military men load 18:30 the young girl into the plane. 18:32 Supplies here are very limited and there is no stretcher 18:36 available to use for transportation. 18:38 All they have are blankets, that they pick up the young girl in 18:43 and carry her to the plane. 18:46 Undoubtedly this exacerbates the young girl's pain 18:49 and tears stream down her cheeks. 18:53 After a few attempts, the men finally situate the young girl 18:57 into the back of the airplane. 19:00 It's a tearful and heart wrenching sight as the young 19:03 girl says good bye to her mother. 19:06 This young girl must make this journey with only the 19:09 companionship of a stranger as her guardian. 19:12 Adventist World Aviation always makes a practice to offer 19:17 return flights for their patients after they have 19:21 received their medical treatment. 19:23 Although it's very scary now, the patient will not be left 19:27 stranded in Managua and will be safely returned to her mother. 19:32 Clint and his passengers have no time to waste. 19:36 He is now leaving with an extra passenger, 19:39 that he had not anticipated. 20:16 Within moments, Clint and the patients are racing 20:18 down the runway. 20:20 The nurse in the back seat looks anxiously out the window 20:24 as the ground rushes past her. 20:26 She has never been in an airplane before 20:28 and the experience is all so very new to her. 20:48 Clint skillfully lifts the aircraft into the sky 20:51 and turns the plane southward towards their destination. 20:56 This flight will take just over an hour. 20:58 Making this journey by ground would be impossible. 21:02 From the air, it's clear to see, that there are no roads 21:05 for the ground travel. 21:07 As far as the eye can see, there is just dense jungle 21:11 with only rivers cutting through the trees. 21:14 Without this flight, these patients might not survive 21:17 the accident they endured. 21:56 The injuries these 2 young patients sustained 21:58 from the bus accident are life threatening. 22:02 As Clint glances back, he sees that the young boy has slipped 22:06 into unconsciousness. 22:09 The nurse holds him tight as his body goes limp. 22:14 The young girl's frail body also lies perfectly still. 22:18 She has multiple bone fractures and she must remain as still 22:22 as possible to keep from injuring herself further. 22:26 Clint keeps a copy of all medical notes of the patients 22:29 he transports. He logs these notes into his flight times. 22:34 He does this in order to be able to show his donors, how their 22:38 contributions were put to work. 22:40 He is able to give an account for each flight and show 22:43 each donor the lives they were able to help save. 23:02 Midway through the flight, Clint sees dark storm clouds ahead. 23:05 Rain is very typical here in the jungles of Nicaragua, however, 23:09 due to the nature of today's flight, any turbulence 23:13 is most unwelcomed. 23:16 Clint does everything he can to keep this plane flying 23:19 as smoothly as possible. 23:21 Weather is something all pilots wish they could control, 23:24 but today Clint can do nothing more than whisper a prayer 23:29 and be attentive to his controls. 23:33 The clouds completely surround the aircraft and there is no 23:38 visibility out of the aircraft. 23:41 In order to keep the plane on course, Clint must fly what we 23:44 call IFR. IFR stands for instrument flight rules. 23:50 It's called instrument flight, because the pilot navigates only 23:54 by reference to the instruments on the panel of the aircraft. 24:00 Clint is able to climb above the clouds and away from the storms. 24:05 The young patients in the back remain undisturbed 24:08 as they safely travel onward. 24:26 The journey is now drawing to an end and the view 24:29 of Puerto Cabezas is on the horizon. 24:32 Just a few short miles and they will be 24:34 safely on the ground again. 24:37 Clint reviews his landing procedure 24:39 to insure everything is prepared for landing. 24:50 The runway is a welcome sight to all. 24:53 Clint makes his final turn and lines up 24:55 with the runway for landing. 24:58 This is a nice long runway, so he has plenty of room to land 25:02 the small plane. 25:04 The patients in the back of the aircraft awake as they can feel 25:08 that their journey is almost at the end. 25:11 Clint lowers the plane till finally he feels 25:14 the wheels touch the ground. 25:17 They have arrived safely! 25:25 Clint taxies over to the terminal area, where 25:28 emergency medical staff await. 25:30 Everyone here knows Clint well 25:32 since they work together so frequently. 25:34 The patients seemed to have fared well during the flight. 25:38 The ambulance drives on to the tarmac, pulls right up 25:42 next to the plane. 25:43 The paramedics spring into action to disembark the patients 25:48 Clint helps the nurse and young boy out of the plane. 25:52 The young girl will need a stretcher for transport. 25:56 Like before, they must be very careful as they move 26:00 the young girl. 26:01 The severity of her fractured back is unknown 26:04 and any wrong moves could paralyze her. 26:07 Inch by inch they move the young girl's body from the airplane, 26:12 onto the stretcher. 26:14 The process proves to be difficult, 26:16 since they cannot bend her legs or torso. 26:21 Ever so carefully, they manage to transfer the child 26:24 out of the plane and into the ambulance. 26:30 They have no time to waste; they must get these children 26:33 to the hospital immediately. 26:35 It's just a 5 minute drive from the airport to the hospital. 26:38 The streets clear, as the villagers hear the sound 26:41 of the ambulance siren. 26:43 Once inside the hospital gates, the young patients are pulled 26:48 from the ambulance and carried in. 26:50 The hospital is very busy today, but they have cleared beds 26:54 for these two critical patients. 26:57 After a journey that took less than 2 hours, the young patients 27:01 are at a point where they can receive the medical care, 27:04 that will save their lives. 27:06 Doctors waste no time in treating the young patients. 27:10 Both children were fortunate to reach this hospital so quickly. 27:16 Clint: The Miskito people are extremely thankful 27:18 that we are here. 27:20 They are very very happy with the work that we do and they are 27:23 very thankful that we are able to help them when they need it. 27:27 A lot of the people that we actually help, the actual people 27:30 that we are flying, are often too sick to even realize 27:34 what we are doing, who we are and why we are flying. 27:37 But the people around them, the people that are 27:39 accompanying them, they understand. 27:40 And they often thank us. And they are very thankful 27:45 and grateful. 27:47 And I do tell them that it's not anybody in Nicaragua, 27:50 who is paying for it. 27:52 No government, no hospital is paying for this, it's the people 27:55 in America, the fellow Christians, who are sending 27:58 money down to pay for the gasoline and help keep 28:00 the airplane flying, that's helping them. 28:04 Narrator: All around the world, thousands of critically ill 28:07 people die simply because they are so remote, 28:11 that they cannot reach medical care in time. 28:15 Adventist World Aviation seeks to diminish those numbers 28:18 and provide lifesaving med-evac flights, to every single person 28:23 in need, that our missionaries come in contact with. 28:27 Thereby opening the door to share with them, 28:29 the love of Jesus. 28:32 And with God's blessings, we will be able to reach more souls 28:37 as we continue to grow our projects into these 28:40 more difficult to reach areas of the world! |
Revised 2016-12-15