Participants: Jeff Reich
Series Code: LM
Program Code: LM000135
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00:31 I recently returned to the island of Vanuatu,
00:34 to visit Dr. Turnbull and family. 00:37 It had been nearly two years since the last time I was here. 00:40 Vanuatu is a nation comprised of 83 distinct islands 00:43 located in the South Pacific. 00:49 We met up with Dr. Mark 00:50 as the natives call him on the island of Santo, 00:53 where he needed to pick up some supplies. 01:01 Then it was back to the airport 01:03 where we loaded up the Maule M-7 Super Rocket 01:06 before taking off to their home base on the island of Gaua. 01:20 When we arrived at the hangar house 01:22 as usual I received a warm welcome. 01:24 I also couldn't believe 01:25 how many things have changed since my last visit. 01:28 Our Maule M-7 Super Rocket as it is called 01:32 was in need of some repairs. 01:33 We wasted no time getting the job done 01:36 using some of the parts I brought with me 01:37 from the United States. 01:42 Look at all these new parts that we brought with us 01:44 from America, from Alaska bush wheel 01:46 and these guys are really serious about 01:48 making great parts for these Maule aircraft. 01:50 And these are the new struts that we have for the plane 01:53 because this one here that one is bend just a little bit 01:55 which concerns us about safety issues. 01:58 So while we are here we are hoping to get 02:00 some of these new parts on the plane. 02:02 So we have a new tailwheel, extra tires, extra springs 02:06 and then these new struts for the front suspension. 02:09 Yeah, we have a lot of maintenance issues 02:13 which are related to the kind of airstrips 02:15 that we are landing on. 02:18 We are landing on bush airstrips all the time. 02:20 And so, the tire wheel is definitely 02:22 the most abused part of the aircraft. 02:25 Out of curiosity, how often do you use the plane? 02:27 Do you use like once a month or once a week or? 02:30 Jeff, this is--this is flying virtually everyday. 02:35 Sometimes two or three times a day flying into bush airstrips 02:38 two or three times a day. 02:39 Occasionally we have a day or two pass 02:41 where we don't have flights but-- 02:42 Chris, our cameraman was saying, 02:43 most people have a garage with a car in it, 02:45 you've got a garage with an airplane in it. 02:47 That's right, now, this is a very busy aircraft 02:51 but we sure need these new springs because 02:54 they are very, very stressed landing on these airstrips. 02:59 These struts for the front wheels are very-- 03:03 they are an upgrade of the stock ones 03:07 and I believe these are stainless steel, 03:09 very, very strong. 03:11 We have an issue with our small airstrips 03:14 because they are very narrow 03:16 and when we are turning on a bush airstrip 03:19 it's putting a lot of torque on the wheels, 03:22 very, very tight on the wheels. 03:25 So that actually bends them slightly. 03:27 And then when you do your checks on the wheel alignment 03:31 one of the wheels is now-- 03:33 Kind of pull you off the other directions. 03:35 Trying to pull us and I can feel it when I'm landing. 03:37 So we need to do this because it's-- 03:40 we need these new ones, 03:42 there is a bit of risk involved in that. 05:01 Just to stabilize it. 05:48 I have known Dr. Turnbull probably for ten years and more 05:52 and I know him really well, and I know he is a charts guy, 05:55 he likes to always figure and calculate everything out 05:57 with charts and schematics and do his research 05:59 and cross all his tears and dot all his eyes 06:01 and when we are looking at getting a plane, 06:03 he looked at all the different kinds of planes we could get 06:06 and Maule was the best kind of plane 06:08 for this type of work environment. 06:10 And he came to the conclusion he set me down, 06:12 he said Jeff, we need to get a Maule 06:13 but then we realized we couldn't afford it. 06:16 And to make a long story short we had a gentleman 06:18 who called up our ministry after seeing 06:20 one of our first Vanuatu videos on 3ABN 06:23 and he saw that we had a need 06:25 and he said I want to donate a plane to work in Vanuatu 06:29 and I asked what kind of plane was it? 06:31 And he says, oh, it's a Maule M-7 06:34 and that was exactly the kind of plane 06:36 that Mark had figured out that we needed 06:38 and that's what the Lord provided for this project 06:40 is just absolutely amazing how it all worked out. 06:44 Since our last visit, a new clinic and patient house 06:47 had been built next to the hangar house. 06:49 We asked Dr. Mark to give us a tour. 06:53 This is our outpatient room 06:54 where I see people for check-ups, 06:57 or day visits or day patients, day cases 07:00 and sometimes it becomes our overflow inpatient room. 07:05 We have somehow sick patients 07:06 or post-operative patients in here at times. 07:09 This is our main inpatient room 07:11 where we look after postoperative patients 07:14 or people who are intense who need an intensive care 07:17 who are very sick 07:18 and so they are taking care off in a nice hygienic environment. 07:22 When they get better, 07:23 they usually go out to our house-- 07:26 patient house which is next door 07:28 which is a more local style building 07:29 a bit more comfortable for them. 07:31 This is our sterilization area 07:33 we use very simple forms of sterilization. 07:36 For example, boiling water 07:38 and we use some simple antiseptics and disinfectants 07:42 which are keeping us from getting any infections. 07:47 We are very impressed 07:49 with low infection rate of our operative patients. 07:53 We have a toilet and shower here which is flushing toilet 07:56 nice hygienic set up here for our patients. 07:59 They really appreciate these buildings 08:01 this is regarded as kind of high quality, 08:05 the most high quality care in this province. 08:06 Very simple structure here 08:08 but very highly appreciated by people. 08:11 This is a very significant room, 08:12 this is where operations take place. 08:14 We do cesarean sections 08:16 and we do some hernia repairs, 08:20 emergency hernia repairs here as well. 08:23 Which are the two most commonly 08:25 needed forms of emergency surgery in this area. 08:28 It is once again we use very simple anesthesia, 08:32 we only use a drug called Ketamine. 08:35 We don't use complex anesthesia 08:37 because of the environment that we are living in but it's-- 08:40 it's complete for what we are doing. 08:42 Through here we have a store room 08:44 where we keep our medicines and our surgical supplies 08:48 which are quite well stocked and we keep them-- 08:52 we keep supplies coming from Australia 08:54 and we have some government supplies 08:56 coming to us from the government pharmacy 08:58 which we really appreciate. 09:00 And so basically we are quite well set up 09:03 in our own specialized field here 09:06 we don't have very fancy equipment, 09:08 we don't have much diagnostic equipment 09:10 but what we are doing here is a big blessing 09:12 and then cases that are very difficult for us 09:15 to have over here, we just take them down 09:17 to Santo or Luganville in the aircraft. 09:20 Okay, when patients come to Gaua 09:23 where they are able to stay in our patient house 09:25 which is as you can see it's a local style building 09:27 with Natanguru roof that's very cool. 09:30 It's very practical building. 09:32 Inside it's pretty tidy, it's nice and clean hygienic. 09:37 The patients have got nice clean rooms and beds 09:40 and a nice floor and most people feel like 09:45 it's not a bad idea to get sick and come to Gaua now. 09:49 This is a really nice place to stay 09:50 and they have their own kitchen, 09:52 they have toilets and shower so. 09:54 I think most of them feel it's pretty good place to-- 09:57 to come and stay when they are sick. 10:06 While we were in Vanuatu, 10:07 we had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Mark 10:10 as he traveled to other islands 10:11 bringing patients to Gaua for treatment. 10:20 This morning I have received a phone call from Sola 10:23 which is the next island north of us 10:24 they called me about a lady 10:26 who has a breech presentation baby 10:29 so she is about to deliver, 10:31 she has had seven children already 10:34 and this is her eighth pregnancy 10:36 and apparently the baby is in not a good position, 10:40 so they have asked me to go and pick her up 10:42 and bring her here to Gaua so we can look after right here. 10:46 So right now, we've refilled and we are ready to go. 11:47 Okay, so we got a lady here 11:48 who I haven't done any examination or anything 11:51 but suggestion is that she is breech 11:54 and she is smoky gravida 11:57 she probably needs a bit of help with this delivery. 11:59 So she is coming to Gaua for that. 13:26 The baby is okay, it's just fun at side 13:29 and it's starting to come out, 13:31 so I have to do a caesarian on this lady. 13:36 Okay, sister-- 13:39 Okay, so we have a transverse lie 13:41 it's not a breech but its a transverse lie. 13:44 The baby is unable to come--come down 13:48 and so we are going to do a caesarian section. 13:50 She also wants to prevent future pregnancy 13:53 so we use the opportunity to help her in that area as well. 14:35 Mr. John is the surprised father of two, it is-- 14:39 none of us realized I suspected 14:41 but I didn't actually pick it up on the scan. 14:43 I think that second baby was hiding right behind. 14:46 And so when we took out the first baby, 14:49 I notice there was another hand saying, hello, I'm in here too. 14:54 So, anyway John is a proud father of nine now. 15:09 Okay, we got a busy day ahead of us, 15:11 we got patient on Mota Lava Island 15:14 who we need to go and get. 15:15 He has got urinary retention. 15:18 Sounds like he is not very stable, 15:20 we also have directors with us, who we need to take to Mota. 15:25 And this afternoon we have a big program at the school so, 15:31 as usual there is lots happening. 15:32 But we will see what's happening on Mota Island as we depart now. 16:30 This gentleman had urinary retention yesterday. 16:34 And I think he was going into kidney failure 16:36 just by some of the signs that apparently he was vomiting 16:40 and he was feeling very, very sick 16:42 but I advised the nurse practitioner 16:45 to give put a urinary catheter in. 16:47 And so now, he is very much stabilized 16:50 so now we got time, we got time in our hands 16:52 to work with him to decide what we're gonna do next. 16:55 [Speaking in foreign language] 17:02 Okay, this gentleman is being stabilized, 17:05 he is now got a urinary catheter 17:07 and instead of taking him now 17:09 I have decided to work in with my busy schedule. 17:12 We're gonna come for may be tomorrow or the day after 17:15 and in the mean time we can take care of 17:17 some of the other things that are happening. 17:19 There's gonna be caesarian this evening in Gaua 17:21 and so we'll just leave him 17:22 in the hands of the nurse practitioner here 17:24 until we come and get him next trip. 17:28 While we pray that every medical case in Vanuatu 17:30 will go smoothly, there is a sad reality 17:33 that not every case ends the best. 17:36 What is the series of events on last 24 hours? 17:40 Okay, we had a very busy day, yesterday. 17:45 We have finished up doing a cesarean section on a lady 17:48 who had been in labor for two weeks 17:53 and her membranes had broken three days ago. 17:57 The baby was born okay, 18:00 seem to be okay but during the night the baby died. 18:04 So, it was another one of the experiences 18:09 that people go through 18:11 when they are involved in looking after these patients 18:13 I don't know exactly what happened. 18:16 I'm not sure exactly why. 18:18 We often have multiple experiences 18:22 happening in 24 hours. 18:26 We have joys and sadness, 18:29 we have good things and bad things. 18:32 We have amazing things, boring things, 18:35 everything you can imagine, it gets packed into 24 hours. 18:39 So we just feel like our lives are 18:42 full to the brim with experiences 18:44 and I can't explain it, you can't say that it's all good 18:49 because some of it's not good at all. 18:51 Some things we don't enjoy at all, 18:53 we don't want to experience but we are experiencing them. 19:03 In 2011, while helping to cut a jungle airstrip 19:06 on the island of Vanua Lava a tragic accident occurred 19:09 that killed 43-year-old Wesley Mooi. 19:20 Darren Vaotuua was there when the accident happened. 19:24 Darren and I decided to return 19:26 to what is now being named Wesley airstrip 19:28 to remember our brother in Christ. 20:04 We just want to say thank you so much 20:09 for warm welcome. 20:13 Time when we are here and you sing sing, today 20:17 it bring back full out memories 20:19 of time when we step in place here. 20:24 One something that Wesley, he like them too much 20:28 is time when you sing sing. 20:32 And we are happy too much every time you sing sing. 20:34 So time when you sing today we think about Wesley 20:38 and make happy too much. 20:43 Thank you too much for hard work, 20:44 you finished some airport here, 20:47 every something you look good. 20:59 So when the accident happened about three years ago. 21:05 You know-- Yeah 2011. 21:07 And you were here with Pete and Wesley 21:12 so what exactly happened 21:13 that caused this unfortunate accident? 21:16 Well, it was the last day of our work here Friday 21:21 and Wesley and Pete have been 21:23 the most experienced chainsaw movers 21:26 had decided to tackle what we call them Nabunga tree 21:30 with big strangler fig type trees here, 21:35 and I was left some place here down the way 21:38 just plaining out and cutting what was on the ground. 21:45 So Peter and Wesley had gone to tackle this Nabunga tree 21:49 after having successfully fallen one. 21:54 Just earlier that day and when I was cutting up 21:59 I heard this crack and I turned around 22:02 and looked up at the tree and that's what left over there 22:05 and he used to have massive arms 22:09 throwing out in every direction hanging out over this airstrip 22:13 and going around the other side. 22:14 I don't think people even can comprehend 22:16 how big these trees are they are so massive. 22:18 They are massive. 22:20 And when I heard the crack just like a domino effect 22:24 one after another at the arms just fell. 22:26 One, bang, bang, bang, bang 22:29 and I turned and I just laughed 22:31 because I thought that they were just doing their work. 22:37 And then a moment later a man comes running up 22:39 to where I was cutting and said Peter had me dead. 22:45 He was saying that Peter was dead 22:47 and I thought I wasn't too strong on bissalama 22:50 I thought hopefully I have got the message wrong and I start. 22:54 This was all chopped up wood, 22:57 You have to climb over things to run down the back there, 23:01 that's where I found Peter and he was okay. 23:05 Peter says to me have you seen Wesley? 23:09 And that was when our stomach just dropped. 23:12 We knew that something wasn't right. 23:17 You could see his chainsaw still turning over 23:21 on the ground further up the way. 23:24 That's when one of the local people 23:26 who had seen it all happen 23:28 came and showed us right where he was. 23:31 And one of the arms 23:33 look like he must have run towards the tree. 23:37 And one of the arms which is as big as the tree in itself 23:40 had fallen down and just crushed him immediately. 23:46 You can get an idea how big these trees are 23:48 by just standing here at the base of it. 23:50 These things can be the size of a small house across 23:53 and they are just a mass of roots and branches 23:57 trying to cut something like this 23:58 down with a chainsaw is really a challenge. 24:03 He was cutting this one, 24:06 time when tree broke him run go this way. 24:13 Yes. 24:26 These men saw when happened 24:31 and it wasn't--everything has been a bit foggy 24:33 because I was further down the way. 24:37 What you can see in this tree was the back cut. 24:42 Oh, he was putting, you know, in the wedge actually 24:45 it look he probably wanted to fall the tree that way 24:50 and while he was putting in this cut 24:53 that's when the limb that Peter was cutting 24:57 was on the other side of the tree. 24:59 So it should have just fallen on the other side of the tree. 25:02 It should have been totally safe situation. 25:04 He didn't take risk, Wesley, 25:06 he always thought things through. 25:07 Did things really calculated 25:10 but one limb after another fell 25:13 and he hearing and saying what was happening 25:16 thought the safest place was to go towards the base of the tree 25:22 and right there was where we found him. 25:25 You can see that big limb that's sort of hollow 25:29 and all sorts of things that was complete. 25:35 That came all the way out to here 25:39 and we required, using the chainsaw to cut him out. 25:45 They kept this in memory of Wesley. 26:23 As you can tell this past visit was extremely emotional. 26:27 The clouds of sadness is lifted 26:29 through the hope and promise that new life brings. 26:32 During our short visit Dr. Mark delivered 26:34 a total of four very healthy babies, what a blessing. 26:38 Many people have had their lives saved 26:40 as we provide medical assistance 26:42 in a place where there would other wise be no help at all. 26:46 While we were there we also took a look at our school 26:48 and Sabbath school programs on Gaua. 26:50 Be watching for these updates and upcoming videos. 26:53 We want to thank you 26:54 for your generous support of this project. 26:57 Together we are bringing the Three Angles' Messages 27:00 to one of the most remote places on earth, Vanuatu. |
Revised 2014-12-17