Six-year-old Sky Botes has a gold-star standard show-and-tell up her sleeve.
Her tale involves being winched into a yellow and blue helicopter, finally meeting the hero who she remembers putting little pink muffs over her ears four years ago – and having “the best day”.
The year one student is set to entertain her Woongarra State School classmates with the story of her private RACQ LifeFlight Rescue Bundaberg base tour last weekend.
RACQ LifeFlight Rescue aircrew officer, Shayne White, curated the special experience for Sky and her family after he was part of the crew who airlifted her to Brisbane with a twisted bowel in June 2019.
She was in terrible pain and Sky, who was only two at the time, was so uncomfortable, she sobbed into her mother’s chest as the Bundaberg-based crew flew her to the Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane.
But the memories of her pain from that night were replaced with giggles of delight last weekend as Shayne winched Sky, and her brother Noah, into the helicopter as he demonstrated to her and her family who he rescues people.
“It was a real treat to have Sky and her family in at the base because we don’t often hear how patients are doing after we fly them to hospital,” Shayne said, “I remember Sky from the night of her mission, she was such a little cutie.”
Sky’s mother Angela said the thought of having to drive four hours to the Queensland Children’s Hospital that night would have been horrendous.
“She was clawing at her tummy and crying out in pain,” she said, “seeing the wonderful way Shayne was with Sky today, all the effort he put into the morning just shows the kind of passion and love the LifeFlight crew have for their job and their patients.”
Sky was so happy after the tour she drew a picture of the LifeFlight helicopter first thing the next morning.
