Take a moment to imagine this. A family member has been diagnosed with a serious condition. Hope is fading. Their medical team tells you the hospital’s resources only go so far. They must move quickly. The only remaining option: a medical center hundreds of miles away.

That was the situation one northern Minnesota husband found himself in early last year.

Matt Cameron’s wife, Tabetha, had developed sepsis, a life-threatening condition that causes serious damage to multiple organs at once.

“It was all happening so fast,” recalls Matt.

Though Tabetha wound up under the care of a surgeon equipped to begin treating her, the hospital in nearby Grand Forks, N.D. lacked the resources to sustain the therapy.

The only way she would survive is if she could get to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

“Mayo was the only place that could take her,” says Matt.

With little time to spare, getting Tabetha would be no simple task. It would require expediency, precision and teamwork. She would need to be cared for every step of the way.

Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service can transport patients both by helicopter and airplane. The fixed wing option is used for patients beyond 125-150 nautical miles. / Photo: William Forsman

Fortunately for Tabetha, Mayo Clinic air ambulance crews at Rochester International Airport were up for the job. With a team on-site 24/7, a plane can be in the air within as little as 30 to 40 minutes of a call coming into Mayo’s Emergency Communications.

In the case of Tabetha, the readiness of the flight team — made up of pilots, nurses and paramedics — meant the Mayo model of care would be transported directly to her.

Fast forward to today, and thanks to the work of the entire team involved, Tabetha has a second chance at life.

“I don’t think she would be here if it wasn’t for the care she received at [Mayo],” says Matt.

“I owe my life to them,” adds Tabetha.

Matt and Tabetha with the medical transport team / via Mayo Clinic

Searching for answers

On average, about 20 Mayo Clinic Air Ambulance flights leave the Rochester airport each month. Oftentimes, the flights go out in a hurry — going to pick up patients like Tabetha in need of critical care. Many require care for unique, complex conditions.

“You have these families, and these patients trying to find hope,” says Meghan Lamp, a flight nurse of 25 years. “They are trying to find the answer.”

By deploying the fixed wing air ambulance, Mayo can ensure the patient’s needs are being met from the time they are picked up until the time they arrive on the Mayo campus.

The Mayo Clinic Airplane Air Ambulance is a King Air 350C that has been specially equipped for patient care. / Photo: William Forsman

That seamless transition can make the difference for a patient in a challenging circumstance, explains Paul Drucker, Senior Director of Mayo Clinic Ambulance Service.

“They might have infusions, ventilations, respiratory-type needs. They probably can’t walk. So, traveling by vehicle or commercial plane is likely out of the question,” says Drucker.

Aboard the plane, teamwork becomes as important as ever. Lynnette Erickson, a flight paramedic stationed at RST, says the limited amount of space on the plane carries its own set of challenges.

“We are essentially in a small tube, far away from any sort of help; so we are very dependent on our partners, our knowledge, the training we have,” says Erickson. “Everything we have is with us, so we have to do a lot of preparing and planning ahead for all the what-if situations.”

In 2019, the fixed wing ambulance made 262 patients flights in and of of Rochester International Airport. / Photo: William Forsman

In some cases, such as those involving prenatal or respiratory problems, Mayo will deploy a specialist to assist with care on board the flight.

The objective is that from the moment air ambulance crews arrive, patients can find comfort knowing they are now under the care of the best medical care team in the world.

“As a flight nurse, we can arrive to a patient’s room anywhere in the U.S. and experience first-hand the sense of relief and sometimes even tears between the patient and their family — they realize somebody’s there to help them and bring them to Mayo Clinic,” says Lamp, now the Transport Coordinator. “That’s pretty powerful to a flight team member.”

A ‘special mission’

Charlie Phillips, the aircraft mechanic at Mayo’s RST hangar, knows firsthand the impact of air ambulance services.

In 2012, his daughter was seriously injured in a car accident outside of Rochester. Thanks to the support of the team aboard the Mayo Clinic air ambulance helicopter, she survived.

Airplane mechanic Charlie Phillips credits the air ambulance crews for saving his daughter’s life. / Photo: William Forsman

“They picked her up on the side of the highway after an accident,” says Phillips. “And if they didn’t have the blood products and expertise on that helicopter, she wouldn’t have made it.”

Now working on Mayo’s custom-fitted KingAir 350, Phillips says the job has taken on personal significance. He recognizes the mission he is a part of every day.

“It is a really good feeling to know that these people out here,” says Phillips, “that their sole mission is to help folks.”

Phillips is an integral member of a large group responsible for ensuring patients are safely cared for during their trips aboard the air ambulance.

What starts as a call into the communication center and extends into a patient’s hospital includes an entire network of unsung heroes, according to Chief Pilot Bob Ringold.

Crews from RST work with the air ambulance team to ensure the safe travel of patients to and from Rochester. / Photo: William Forsman

Ringold tells of an incident from a few years back. A call had come in about a sick teenage girl in need of air support. But there was an issue: it was night, and the airport was about to close the runway for construction. And it would be hours before the girl was stable enough for transport.

Recognizing what was at stake, however, airport crews responded with a simple message, recalls Ringold: “They were like, ‘you tell us when and we will wait… if it’s all night, we’ll wait all night.’”

The result was one of the most miraculous patient outcomes Ringold has ever witnessed.

“They understand what we do,” he says. “From the airport director on down to the fire department and maintenance workers, they are always aware of our special mission.”

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