“I had to laugh, because I’ve been a helicopter pilot all my life, and it was the first time I flew in the back of a helicopter. I’m usually the driver.” ~ Bob Carr, retired U.S. Army pilot, former LifeFlight patient Most of LifeFlight of Maine’s patients do not remember the helicopter ride. Some will […]
Sunny Dilley was two days old when she flew in a helicopter from Bar Harbor to Bangor. Angela, her mother, remembers watching from the passenger seat of a car in the hospital parking lot as the aircraft lifted off. The helicopter quickly disappeared into the distance, and the car pulled out onto the street heading […]
This story appeared in the Spring 2024 issue of Dispatches. In an emergency, a strong and well-designed system saves lives. Much of the work happens behind the scenes long before an emergency call comes in, coordinating among services — EMS, fire, police, hospitals, and 911 dispatchers — so that when the need does arise, the necessary resources […]
“It’s time to go. The heart is good,” Eric Brasier needed get to Boston for surgery, and quickly.
“It was a feeling of relief that someone just knows what to do, especially in a rural area.” – Christina Dolan
“I don’t have any memories from Pen Bay or the ICU at Maine Medical Center, but I do have a memory of a helicopter noise.” – Cathy Lake
“We got a call from Boston Children’s that they had a liver for me, and I needed to go immediately.” – Phoebe Root
“We’re doing really well now. It’s easy to forget what everybody on that helicopter flight had to do.” – Chris Lirakis
Don Miller was at his camp 40 miles west of Ashland when he developed a brain bleed. LifeFlight flew Don from Presque Isle to Bangor for emergency surgery.
“Sometimes we’re called for the unique medical capabilities that we bring and sometimes we’re called for speed.” – Veronica Marzonie, LifeFlight nurse
