WEBVTT 00:00.460 --> 00:02.690 Our team needs to get to wherever the 00:02.700 --> 00:04.780 patient is as fast as possible . But 00:04.789 --> 00:06.678 it's a life and death situation . 00:20.510 --> 00:22.829 We got alerted about a marine who was 00:22.840 --> 00:25.030 in a helicopter crash in Australia and 00:25.040 --> 00:27.709 he needed to be picked up . We had to 00:27.719 --> 00:30.479 get to him fast because an infection 00:30.489 --> 00:32.970 had set place and we needed him to get 00:32.979 --> 00:35.090 back to the United States for , for a 00:35.090 --> 00:37.209 higher echelon of care . The patient 00:37.220 --> 00:39.849 had uh mucormycosis which is an 00:39.860 --> 00:43.450 invasive fungus when we arrive in a 00:43.459 --> 00:47.029 place that were given 17 hours . It 00:47.040 --> 00:49.040 just so happened to be joint base . 00:49.040 --> 00:51.520 Pearl Harbor . You have to control the 00:51.529 --> 00:54.080 way you feel . You have to put yourself 00:54.090 --> 00:57.069 into a place to where you can sleep , 00:57.080 --> 01:00.009 you can rest . Uh kind of get your mind 01:00.020 --> 01:02.610 off of what is about to happen because 01:02.619 --> 01:05.269 at the 24 hour mark , it is go time . 01:05.669 --> 01:08.639 There is nothing but thinking about 01:08.650 --> 01:11.660 mission as a team , we decided to go 01:11.669 --> 01:15.010 pay our respects at Pearl Harbor . We 01:15.019 --> 01:17.510 were on a mission to go save a life . 01:17.519 --> 01:19.519 So we went and paid respects to the 01:19.519 --> 01:21.686 lives that were lost . We had to spend 01:21.686 --> 01:24.620 17 hours in Hawaii uh for some downtime 01:24.629 --> 01:27.379 for the crew . Uh But then we uh took 01:27.389 --> 01:31.019 the same C 17 to Australia uh where we 01:31.029 --> 01:32.973 met the Australia team . Uh We had 01:32.973 --> 01:36.129 about 10 hours in Australia there . We 01:36.139 --> 01:38.669 were able to go more in depth with the 01:38.680 --> 01:41.529 doctors and his care team there uh to 01:41.540 --> 01:43.651 talk about his history and everything 01:43.651 --> 01:45.707 that they had done for the past five 01:45.707 --> 01:48.279 weeks . And then we were able to have a 01:48.290 --> 01:50.457 little bit rest before we were hopping 01:50.457 --> 01:53.349 on our C 17 to make the 01:53.400 --> 01:57.250 8200 mile journey uh back 01:57.260 --> 01:59.930 to San Antonio . The Australia team uh 01:59.940 --> 02:01.750 brought him by ambulance to the 02:01.760 --> 02:03.871 aircraft and it was then that we were 02:03.871 --> 02:06.010 able to take over the marines care at 02:06.230 --> 02:09.559 that point . Um We were all hands on 02:09.570 --> 02:11.539 deck uh for 18 hours . 02:15.250 --> 02:17.830 It was the longest flight in ECMO 02:17.839 --> 02:18.589 history 02:22.509 --> 02:25.410 on the landing uh going into Hawaii . 02:25.460 --> 02:29.410 Um We realize that on the descent , our 02:29.419 --> 02:32.250 uh ECMO machine had shut off . Uh It 02:32.259 --> 02:34.481 just completely stopped . Uh which is a 02:34.481 --> 02:36.703 complication of ECMO . Sometimes you do 02:36.703 --> 02:38.815 get clots that stop the machine . And 02:38.815 --> 02:40.981 this is what happened in this case . I 02:40.990 --> 02:43.212 vividly remember like I looked down the 02:43.212 --> 02:46.399 aisle and Juhas and me made eye 02:46.410 --> 02:49.679 contact and that's when I was like , ok , 02:49.690 --> 02:53.309 well , like the plane's landing , it 02:53.320 --> 02:55.509 doesn't matter . This machine is not 02:55.520 --> 02:57.298 working and the patient's on it 02:57.298 --> 03:00.089 immediately , Captain Wood and I stood 03:00.100 --> 03:03.080 up and we went over and tried to do 03:03.089 --> 03:06.860 some um emergency procedures to 03:06.869 --> 03:09.036 get the pump started again . However , 03:09.036 --> 03:12.029 we were unsuccessful . Uh the A E team 03:12.039 --> 03:14.869 that flew with us uh was great and they 03:14.880 --> 03:17.979 got me uh strapped in . And so during 03:17.990 --> 03:20.157 landing , I could still be standing up 03:20.157 --> 03:22.580 and taking care of the patient . And 03:22.589 --> 03:25.259 then once we landed , Captain Wood came 03:25.270 --> 03:28.399 back over and the two of us did a 03:28.410 --> 03:31.259 circuit change there on the taxiing 03:31.270 --> 03:34.190 runway where it has never been done in 03:34.199 --> 03:36.990 dod history . Luckily from there on out , 03:37.449 --> 03:40.639 the longest leg of our mission was 03:40.649 --> 03:43.300 smooth sailing . The transition to bass . 03:44.729 --> 03:47.800 I think in the end , 03:47.809 --> 03:50.610 everyone starts to realize it's almost 03:50.619 --> 03:53.580 over like we , we're almost at that 03:53.589 --> 03:55.478 point to where we can say mission 03:55.478 --> 03:58.649 success . He was just a couple of days 03:58.660 --> 04:02.119 at bamy , still really weak . PT has 04:02.130 --> 04:04.241 already started . But I think at that 04:04.241 --> 04:06.297 time he was only tilting . So we put 04:06.297 --> 04:08.519 him in a special bed and the bed tilted 04:08.519 --> 04:10.686 up so that his feet and legs can start 04:10.686 --> 04:13.649 getting weight when he first started 04:13.660 --> 04:15.771 waking up . He , he was like ready to 04:15.771 --> 04:18.929 do PT ready to keep 04:18.940 --> 04:22.359 working and he just to get better . He , 04:22.369 --> 04:24.591 he just wanted to get better for sure . 04:24.591 --> 04:26.313 In my book , that's one of the 04:26.313 --> 04:28.202 strongest things you can do . The 04:28.202 --> 04:30.258 Australian team was fantastic . They 04:30.258 --> 04:32.519 provided such good care to our service 04:32.529 --> 04:34.529 member and we are very grateful for 04:34.529 --> 04:37.040 that on most of our missions , we will 04:37.049 --> 04:40.119 try to hang a US flag . Um And it's our 04:40.130 --> 04:42.352 way to pay gratitude towards the family 04:42.739 --> 04:44.961 of the service member that we're trying 04:44.961 --> 04:47.459 to get home . We will fly the flag and 04:47.470 --> 04:49.359 then present a certificate to the 04:49.359 --> 04:51.581 family with the flag saying that it was 04:51.581 --> 04:53.640 flown on mission for their family 04:53.649 --> 04:55.760 member . And it's just our way to say 04:55.760 --> 04:57.760 thank you for allowing their family 04:57.760 --> 04:59.427 member to serve this nation . 05:03.049 --> 05:05.290 You are doing awesome . I'm so proud of 05:05.299 --> 05:09.070 you . Nice . 05:10.109 --> 05:13.760 Just cross the line . I like it . Ok ? 05:16.359 --> 05:18.581 You're taking really big steps , dude . 05:18.581 --> 05:20.748 You don't need to take such big ones . 05:20.748 --> 05:20.299 I mean , that's all 05:25.890 --> 05:26.920 beautiful .