When the local hospital told Marcelino that either his wife or newborn might not survive without urgent help, hope arrived in the form of a small MAF aircraft.
As xefe aldeia – the village chief – Marcelino Antones is used to caring for people — but one night he found himself fighting for the lives of his own family.
“It was after midnight when the doctor told us that an operation was badly needed to save both my wife and our baby,” Marcelino said. In the middle of the night, he had woken to find his wife Amonia de Lima in premature labour.
The caesarean section was performed at the local hospital in Suai, Timor-Leste, but immediately afterward the situation became critical. The medical team told 33-year-old Marcelino that the baby might not survive without urgent higher-level care in Dili.
Suai is a 5-to-6-hour drive over mountainous terrain from the national hospital in Dili.
“If it were not for the MAF plane,” he said, “it would be like the old days when we had to travel by bus or ambulance when there was no plane — and maybe baby Amonia or my wife might not have made it.
In Timor-Leste, babies are sometimes not named immediately and are known by the mother’s name. Amonia is this baby girl’s mother, and so her baby is known as ‘baby Amonia’.
The local council helped arrange an emergency medical evacuation, and the availability of the MAF aircraft brought unexpected relief to this family of farmers.
“My wife felt very happy at that time because the MAF plane was available,” he said. Amonia, recovering from the surgery and suffering from severe headaches, was not able to accompany her baby to Dili, but in fact followed five days later on another MAF medevac flight.
For Marcelino, watching the aircraft arrive the next morning felt like hope finally breaking through fear. Both child, and later mother, received prompt treatment upon arriving in Dili, after their individual flights of only 30 minutes.
“Baby Amonia and my wife, although still recovering, look so much better now,” he added. Born two months’ premature, baby Amonia was a tiny 1.5 kg, but is now 2.39 kg and growing.
Through exhaustion and uncertainty, gratitude was woven into every moment.
“I felt sad, but I also felt proud that baby Amonia and my wife were able to make it to Dili,” Marcelino said.
“Even in difficult situations we are thankful to God,” he added. “Because He helped us in providing everything needed for our baby and my wife’s recovery.”
STORY & PHOTOS / MARY DOMTTA
