In appreciation of the lifesaving work, a grateful mother from the Highlands named her son after an Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) Pilot who flew her to the hospital when she had pregnancy difficulties.
The young boy was named after Richie Axon and six years later himself and mother Jesslyn met the wife of pilot Richie, Bernadette, at a Christian women’s conference recently.
Also, part of the joyful reunion was Selah, a volunteer ‘was-mama’ who cares for people receiving medical attention, especially supporting women giving birth.
“Not long after we arrived in Telefomin six and a half years ago, Richie did a medevac for Jesslyn who was having trouble in childbirth, and Selah came along as her helper to look after her while she was in hospital,” Bernadette said.
Like Jesslyn’s case, more than 200 medevacs are similar kinds with MAF planes and pilots flown in 2017.
“We often wonder what happens to the people who we help, and it was exciting to see a healthy six-year-old boy and his mother that are alive because Richie was able to help them”, shared Bernadette.