QUICK FLIGHT TO HOSPITAL SAVED SICK CHILD’S LIFE
As a kid growing up in rural Alberta, Pam Smid knew how important STARS air ambulance was for anyone who didn’t live near a major hospital.
But after she moved to Calgary, she pretty much forgot about it— until a dreadful morning in 2013.
When Smid’s youngest daughter was not quite eight months old, the Smid family packed up for a weekend getaway in Canmore. But when they woke up the next morning, they realized their littlest daughter, Matea, was ill. Very ill.
They took Matea to the Canmorehospital’s emergency room, a short drive away. Within that short time, the tiny girl began trembling and vomiting uncontrollably.
“We had no idea what was going on,” Smid says. “We just knew something wasn’t right.”
The hospital emergency team started her on antibiotics, which improved her condition — only briefly.
“We went from thinking things were OK and we were going to be discharged, to thinking shewasn’t going to make it,” says Smid.
STARS air ambulance was called in to fly Matea to the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary. It took just 17 minutes.
The Smids will never know exactly what it was that made their daughter so ill, but it was likely “sepsis from what was probably meningitis,” Smid says.
Matea recovered and turns four years old later this month.
“She’s happy, healthy and a wonderful little light in our lives,” says Smid. “She and her big sister, Keziah, are like two peas in a pod.”
The Smid family will never forget about STARS air ambulance again. Every year, they support the annual STARS air ambulance fundraiser lottery.
There are three STARS bases in Alberta, and the lottery proceeds can fund one base for an entire year.
“It’s our single largest source of funding for the year,” says Chad Hegge, a STARS flight paramedic.
“From an air medical crew’s perspective, we have phenomenal training and equipment — for instance, ventilators, ultrasound and blood on board. Without the lottery, these things just wouldn’t be affordable.”
Both Hegge and Smid encourage everyone to buy tickets, even if it’s just one.
“It could be the best $25 you ever spend,” Smid says. “Any time you leave the city, you may need the support of STARS. We are so lucky to have STARS air ambulance in our province.”