Callum gets to celebrate his first birthday

In September 2009, a health emergency resulted in a helicopter dash from the country township of Milton to Sydney. Tiny 10 month old Callum ’s health was deteriorating and the doctors at Milton Hospital determined that specialised treatment was required.  Because there are only 10 hospitals in NSW and the ACT with intensive care units for babies (eight of these being in Sydney), they decided to have Callum transferred urgently to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

A neonatal team was despatched in Telstra Child Flight chopper and landed at Milton hospital around 5pm.  Little Callum was stabilised for the flight and touched down at The Children’s Hospital in Sydney around 45 minutes later.

The team was constantly in touch with his family. His mum, Rhian Lester said:  “They were all professional and comforting, constantly communicating with us every step of the way and their reassurance allowed me to feel confident that my son was in very capable hands”.

After successful treatment, Callum is now back home in Milton with his parents, Rhian and James. In a thank-you letter to Telstra Child Flight, Rhian wrote “Thank you. I feel that you have saved my son’s life and we are all home now as a family; you are are all very special people. We are now celebrating Callum’s first birthday this Saturday 21 November. Once again, thank you everyone for your outstanding work”.