Heading home with the Flying Doctor

As a Senior Innovation Analyst with Credit Union Australia (CUA), Kelsey’s job sees her on the frontline of technology – working with start-ups and other businesses to accelerate and support their progress.

The organisation is a passionate advocate for community initiatives, offering its team members up to three days of paid community leave to use for volunteering each year. It was through this program that Kelsey volunteered with the RFDS’ Queensland section (who have a longstanding partnership with CUA and regularly host volunteers from the organisation) in 2018. The volunteering opportunity gave Kelsey a greater understanding of the Flying Doctor’s work – an understanding that she didn’t expect to have a firsthand experience of a few months later!

On the last day of a work conference in Melbourne, Kelsey was out to dinner when disaster struck. Having abruptly rolled around a corner in her wheelchair, she was unable to stop herself plummeting down a flight of stairs. Unconscious at the bottom of the stairs – and with a severely injured leg – she was rushed to The Alfred Hospital.

Metal rods were inserted into her injured leg, but Kelsey’s prognosis also involved weeks of hospital care and rehab – something she understandably wanted to do at home.

After 20 days in hospital in Melbourne, Kelsey was eager to return home. Fortunately, with the support of CUA – who generously offered to pay for her flight, this was able to happen through the RFDS.

An RFDS Mobile Patient Care (MPC) road vehicle crew carefully transported Kelsey to the RFDS airbase at Essendon, before gently helping her on to her RFDS flight using a custom-built hoist mechanism.

“It brought a smile to my face,” says Kelsey. 

“I was thinking ‘small world’ because I got to volunteer with you guys around a year and half ago. It made me very grateful that you are so accommodating and able to do this. It’s not just for urgent flights, it’s also for helping you get back to where you can recover better.”