Little did they know the chest, and the RFDS would save their six-month-old daughter Millie when she had a seizure on the property.
“She had woken up warm in the night,” Jo said.
“It was the first time that she had spiked a fever before, so I gave her some Nurofen and she went back to sleep again.
“The next morning, she woke up warm again, and while I was feeding her, she started having a seizure.”
As a registered nurse and a first-aid trainer, Jo suspected it was a febrile convulsion, but when she attempted to call emergency services for help, she went into shock and forgot their address.
Knowing it would be a two-hour drive to Roma or a three-hour drive to Charleville, Jo opened her RFDS Medical Chest and called the Flying Doctor.
“A telehealth doctor answered, and I have never felt more looked after in my life,” Jo said.
“He talked me through the whole thing, and told me exactly what to do with her, then organised a RFDS flight for us.”
Millie was flown to Charleville Hospital where she stayed for two nights for observation.
Since then, Millie has had multiple febrile convulsions, including a 70-minute seizure when she was three years old.
“Knowing Millie is susceptible, we just don’t leave anything to chance,” Jo said.
“The RFDS and the RFDS Medical Chest have been a lifeline for her.
“We couldn’t live out here if we didn’t have access to it.”
Millie is now your typical energetic five-year-old embracing her childhood in the outback.
