When Sean Pollard felt something 'bump' his leg while surfing off the Esperance coastline back in 2014, he had no idea what had hit him. Until the 3.5 meter Great White Shark that was attacking him, came back for another bite. Seconds later, having lost an arm and his other hand, Sean realised his only chance of survival was to swim some 100 meters back to the shore...to his waiting girlfriend (and now wife) Claire. All the while, that same shark continued circling and waited for him to bleed out. Incredibly, Sean not only survived that terrifying ordeal - but he's since thrived. After marrying the love of his life and having a beautiful baby daughter together, Sean is now an international para-Snowboarding champion, with his sights firmly set on the 2026 Winter Olympics.

***

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. You can follow more of Sean's remarkable story and Snowboarding updates via his website at Sean Pollard There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Simon Green isn't the first country bloke to put off going to the Doctor. But when an extremely rare and sinister tumour began snaking its way down his spine, time was not on the father of three's side. In less than four weeks, his symptoms morphed from mild discomfort to nerve tingling to full-blown paralysis of his lower body. With Simon's condition quickly deteriorating, his Doctors arranged an emergency RFDS evacuation to Newcastle. Later, specialists from around the world would consult on the best way to salvage his spinal cord and save Simon's life - after diagnosing him with a cancer of the Central Nervous System that accounts for less than 2% of all brain and other CNS tumors.

***

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us.There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For many remote and rural country kids, the dream of one day becoming a Doctor is just that. A dream. Because the challenges of vast distances to school and study, a lack of mentors and the often-daunting University entry pathways can all seem insurmountable. But the founder of the Boots to Scrubs scholarship and mentoring program for young rural women, RN and fifth year medical student Chloe Campbell, is keen to change this view. As a remote, rural woman who also happens to be dyslexic, Chloe is on a mission to inspire more country kids to consider a pathway into medicine, nursing or allied health - and she's leading by example. Having just returned from a life-changing one month placement with the RFDS in Broome, WA, Chloe says the title of 'Flying Doc' is now one she's keen to pursue.

***

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. You can also find out more about the Boots to Scrubs scholarships and free mentoring programs here. Contact — Boots to Scrubs There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After experiencing a childhood filled with outback road trips, RFDS Policy and Advocacy Advisor Doug Wyllie carries the red dust of a million miles of the Australian outback in his veins. From the stories of wearing swimming goggles while his parents negotiated driving along an outback road without a windscreen, to the real-life RFDS rescue mission he launched on the remote Birdsville track, Doug shares his crazy adventures along distant 'tracks less travelled'. And this episode also comes with a listener WARNING! You may be at risk of wanting to jump in your car or hop aboard a motorbike and immediately head 'out bush', after listening to Doug's tall tales. But if you do, just make sure to look out for any bull dust!

***

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. You can also find out more about the volunteer HF Radio network mentioned in this interview at VKS-737 The Australian National 4WD Radio Network. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What to bring when you haven't got a thing? For those rural and remote families who suddenly find themselves aboard an RFDS flight to a faraway city hospital, having a few 'overnight essentials' close at hand can make all the difference. But it was at the moment when Kalgoorlie mum, Kim Luke, found herself in that very situation - with just her sick son's Batman Backpack with her on an emergency retrieval flight to Perth - that the idea of a 'Grab and Go Bag' came to her. But what makes Kim's generous idea even more remarkable was that at the time, she was facing one of the worst days of her life. Because Kim's son Jayden was gravely ill, and his Doctors had no idea what was happening to him. Today, Jayden is a health, active boy who loves his bikes. But just a few short years ago, Jayden was diagnosed with one of the most common but aggressive forms of childhood cancer - a Wilms Tumour. This is Jayden's journey.

****

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. To find out more about WA's RFDS Grab and Go Bags, you can visit Grab 'n Go Bag | Rotary Club of Boulder Western Australia or Boulder Rotary Club of WA donate grab and go bags for RFDS patients | Royal Flying Doctor ServiceThere has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sophie Smith is the proud mother of five boys. But three of her sons spent just a short, beautiful time in their mother's arms. Because triplets Henry, Jasper and Evan were born way too soon. Today, Sophie runs marathons with other mums across Australia, and she and her supporters have raised nearly $10 million through the Running for Premature Babies charity that she founded with her late husband, Ash. Because when Sophie's waters broke at just 21 weeks, Doctors told her that her babies simply could not survive and would not be resuscitated. In that moment, Sophie vowed that her tiny boys' lives would be remembered for so much more than just their death.

****

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. You can follow this link to find out more about Running for Premature Babies. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The day before baby Indi's spectacular arrival aboard an RFDS retrieval flight had been a busy one for the Pawson household. Joelene's son, Jack, had celebrated his fifth birthday with friends and family and the young mum, at 31 weeks pregnant, was feeling understandably 'off'. Maybe the busy mother of three was just dehydrated and over-tired? But when her baby stopped moving, Joelene's hubby insisted they head to the hospital to get her checked out. Within hours, the couple would find themselves boarding an RFDS flight from Orange to Sydney, as their baby girl decided to arrive into the world a LOT earlier than expected. This is the extraordinary story of what happens when Mother Nature takes over and a courageous young mum finds herself a long way from a tertiary hospital.

****

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. You can follow this link to find out more about Running for Premature Babies and make sure you also check back in with our upcoming episode #126, when we chat to Running for Premature Babies founder, Sophie Smith. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Louise Taheny's fifth child was born, she immediately knew something was 'different'. It would take three days before baby Hugo was officially diagnosed with Down Syndrome - a syndrome caused by a random error in cell division that results in an extra copy of chromosome 21. That same day, Louise and her husband John would also learn that the top of Hugo's heart had failed to completely form - a discovery that would ultimately mean two years of 'failure to thrive', until their baby boy was old enough to undergo open heart surgery. Today, the young man now known by his friends and family as 'Hugo Rockstar' has faced a myriad of health challenges throughout his childhood and adolescence. But this is also the story of Hugo's incredible family - and the incredible courage and resiliance of his mother Louise, as she faced the added blow of her older son becoming a paraplegic after a serious car accident and later, dealt with the life-changing repercussions of her husband's debilitating stroke.

***

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a frantic Kate Mitchell ran towards a remote police patrol, with her seemingly lifeless toddler in her arms, she'd already spent over thirty minutes performing CPR and battling poor mobile reception to emergency services. Along with her other son, Harry, and her father-in-law, Kate had made a desperate dash by car to meet the ambulance, knowing that every second counted if 16-month-old Darcy stood any chance of surviving his terrifying Tonic-clonic seizure. Minutes later, a pursuit-trained police officer was behind the wheel of the volunteer-run ambulance, racing the Mitchell family towards Albany - with lights and sirens blaring. Now, some three years on, the Darcy Effect is helping country families from across Australia, to navigate the often frightening and complex world of an unexpected or emergency medical crisis. And as for Darcy? The fit and currently seizure free four-year-old is keeping busy helping his Mum, to pack 'care packs' for other country families, who have suddenly found themselves a long way from home.

***

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. There has been some wonderful feedback from listeners about our podcast and the incredible people we have interviewed. You can find out more about the The Darcy Effect here - and watch the super-cute First Aid video for kids, Fangs on the Farm, at "Fangs on the Farm" Episode. Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Australia's 'Queen of Hearts' was born on the day when Dawn Beaumont brought her mother back to life. Even as her extensive, professional First Aid training kicked in - as Dawn calmly performed CPR on her mum in the middle of a crowded theatre foyer - the experienced health and safety manager grappled with the knowledge that her mother was having a potentially fatal heart attack. With a family history of coronary disease and obesely overweight and a smoker, Janet was (in her daughter's words) 'literally a ticking time bomb'. Thankfully, Janet survived her 2013 health emergency. And now, she's become an integral part of her daughter's epic Duathlon support crew - as Dawn takes on the world-record-breaking challenge of running and riding 20,000km in 200 days to raise 2 million dollars for the Heart Foundation and the RFDS in 2025. Because it takes a true, modern-day Warrior Woman to claim the title of Australia's Queen of Hearts.

***

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Flying Doctor Podcast. It is lovely to have you along on the journey with us. You can follow and discover more about Dawn's epic Duathlon journey via her website at Queen of Hearts Run & Ride | running and riding around Australia Word of mouth is always the best promotion for a podcast – so if you enjoy this podcast, or a specific story, please share with family and friends. Reviews and ratings help our podcast to be found by others, so if you can take the time to do that it would be appreciated. You can also send feedback, questions or comments through to [email protected]. We'd also love you to become part of the Flying Doctor Podcast Facebook group, where passionate listeners and incredible outback communities come together.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.