“Coincidences”

The MAF Haiti Afterhours phone rang.  It was Sunday and we don’t fly on Sundays unless there is a life-threatening situation.  There were two separate people who needed medical evacuations from Cap-Haitien.  HERO, a medical organization that we frequently partner with, was coordinating the details with these people and was requesting our help.  One patient had a stroke and was in critical condition, the other was a young boy with a fever and shakes, but they didn’t know the cause.  For them to get proper treatment, they would need to be taken to Port-au-Prince. 

Our team of pilots began exchanging messages regarding the logistics of making two flights.  Were there enough hours available on the airplanes before their required inspections?  Which pilots were available?  By happy coincidence, we had two airplanes available with just enough time left on each one to make one flight and Andrew Sutton and I were available to fly.  Coincidentally, both airplanes were scheduled to make flights of the same length on Monday and so they both just happened to already have just the right amount of fuel to make the flight.  

By another happy coincidence, I had just replaced a flat tire on one of these airplanes the day before.  I had discovered the flat at the very end of the day on Friday and it was not scheduled to fly before Monday.  It was suggested that I should wait and replace it on Monday, but I had decided to come in on Saturday to get some other things done and replaced the tire while I was there. 

It seemed like a very unusual coincidence that there would be two patients at the same airport at the same time, especially when we typically only get about one request for a medical evacuation per month.  What were the chances of having two on the same day and in the same place?  We asked about sending one airplane to be shared between the patients, but they preferred to have two.  HERO also sends two paramedics with us on each medical flight so that they can attend to the patient during the flight.  For this case, they sent a total of four paramedics, two with each airplane. 

When we arrived in Cap-Haitien, it was immediately apparent that the stroke victim was not doing well.  It was an all-hands-on-deck situation to get her stabilized and intubated in preparation for the flight.  By yet another happy coincidence there were three paramedics available to attend to her while the fourth attended to the boy.  I suppose that “unusual coincidence” of there being two medical evacuations at the same place and the same time turned out to be a good thing, too.  I don’t know how they would have managed with any fewer paramedics.  As it was, both patients made it to Port-au-Prince safely and in stable condition.

In case you’re trying to count up all of the “coincidences” that came together perfectly for this to go so smoothly, I counted no fewer than seven of them.  We had two pilots, two planes, just enough available flight time on each airplane, the right amount of fuel already in the tanks of each airplane,  the tire had been changed early, there were two medical evacuations at the same time, and they were at the same place. 

This story is a good picture of our lives.  God works together all of the little details that are beyond our control.  I didn’t understand why there happened to be two medical evacuations at the same place and at the same time, but I didn’t need to.  God was working in those details to accomplish His good purpose.