#89 Tired, toilet, thirsty, thinner - Emma's young son ticked all the boxes for Type 1 diabetes.

When Emma Turner first discovered her seven-year-old son, Fred, had Type 1 diabetes, they were literally living in the middle of nowhere. The outback Queensland town of Blackhall even boasts a memorial to Australia's famous 'black stump'! But after Fred's symptoms suddenly became life threatening,…

#88 Ella was 35 weeks pregnant & driving an outback truck when her waters broke!

When transport company owners, Ella Reindler and her husband Dave, set out on ‘one last trucking trip’ from Perth to the remote Kimberley, they knew it would likely be their last road trip together as a couple, before their new baby arrived. But nobody expected that, at just 35 weeks pregnant, Ella…

#87 How did Gayle lose the use of both arms in a farm-accident ?

The story of Gayle and Mac Shann has been featured twice on ABC's Australian Story and it has even been voted as Australia's favourite story. After Gayle's life-changing accident on a remote cattle station in Queensland, they have had to adapt to a new life, despite one arm being amputated and the …

#86 Barry was hanging from his seat belt in the upside down ute

Barry was travelling with some work colleagues on his way back to Mount Isa from a remote mine site when the driver lost control of the ute, it flipped and Barry was left hanging from his seat belt.  When he released his belt he fell directly on his head, instantly felt pain and saw stars. He knew …

#85 How do you manage a Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis in remote Australia?

Danielle and Boyd Keenan live with their two young daughters, August (Augie), 11, and Willa, 9, in Broken Hills, NSW. It is a community they adore and the home where extended family are, but when Augie was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in October 2019, the remote city they love  was a long way awa…

#84 How did the remote SA township of Marla come to be?

Jane Oakley-Lohm is a central figure in the story of Marla, a remote township in South Australia that sprung up from a roadhouse created in the 1980's. Jane spent 11 years in Marla and admits she has red dirt in her veins. Though she found it lonely at times, Marla was also the hub of the district…

#83 Tom collapsed onto his steering wheel and stopped breathing

Have we become too complacent about snakes? Tom had been parked on the side of a rural road when he stepped out to greet his wife. He felt a small sting or bite on his foot, and bent down to see a small snake disappearing under his car. He was some 30 minutes from a hospital and thought it was no …

#82 Melissa's muscles melted and she was unable to walk, talk or move

Melissa Domiati went to hospital to have her wisdom teeth removed and was not particularly  concerned or worried, but the routine procedure went terribly wrong when she had an allergic reaction to the anaesthetic. She woke up two days later, in Perth, in ICU and unable to move. Melissa's poetry ca…

#81 Dan Hamood was opal fossicking when he fell into a mineshaft

An avid opal miner, Dan was fossicking alone, when he lost his footing and fell into a deep abandoned mineshaft, some 22 metres (7.5 stories) deep in the earth. No one knew where he was and it took more than 24 hours for the alarm to be called that he was missing. The search for Dan then began. *…

#80 Kate Watched As Her Husband Was Dragged to Shore

Adam and his wife Kate were enjoying a family beach holiday with 8 other families. Four of the men went out on a jet ski and blow-up couch to have some fun, but things took an unexpected turn. ******** Thanks so much for listening to the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on th…