Seiye Wasakapi likes fish and fishing. But fish are not easy to find near Seiyes's village of Dodomona in Papua New Guinea's remote western highlands.
So he must walk about five hours through the bush to get to a good stream. One day recently he got up early, grabbed his fishing spear and headed off, hoping to return later that day with some fish for his family. It came perilously close to being Seiye's last day alive on earth.
When he got to the river he went to his usual spot, but found no fish. As he walked along the shore towards another spot he felt a sudden pain in his foot. Looking down, he saw a death adder and knew he had been bitten. He knocked the snake off of his foot with a knife and killed it.
He was miles from home and all alone. He had to get back to the village, but would he make it? He prayed, "God if you want me to die, I'll die. If you want to save me, save me." The pain was excruciating and he became weaker and weaker from the effects of the venom's neurotoxin with every step.
When he finally arrived back home he collapsed and lost consciousness. Unfortunately, Dodomona doesn't have a health worker, but they do have a (CRMF) radio. One of the villagers called Rumginae for help.
There is a MAF base at Rumginae and a fully equipped hospital run by Pioneers International. The emergency call from Dodomona went through to Dr Mike Parsa who quickly organised with MAF to fly to the village.
"When I arrived, Seiye was unconscious and barely breathing," Dr Mike recalls.
"I was able to begin treating him with antivenom right there where he was lying on the grass. Then we loaded him on the plane and flew 40 minutes back to Rumginae where he eventually made a complete recovery.
"The next morning he didn't even recognise me when I went in to check him. He only remembered waking up in the hospital, thankful to God for saving his life."
Pilot Matt Painter said he was pleased to re-visit Dodomona some weeks later where he found Seiye alive and well.
 Back in Dodomona fully recovered, Seiye with MAF pilot Matt Painter.
"In my two years in PNG, I have not seen any other aircraft land at Dodomona, only MAF," reports Matt. "We are their only link."
Hidden dangers are associated with life in remote communities where there are no roads and few basic services. In such places, MAF is, indeed, a lifeline.
Footnote: MAF carries out at least 400 emergency medical flights each year in PNG. The high costs of these flights are often never fully recovered.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 12 April 2010 )
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