"I’ve spent much of my life helping other people prepare for emergencies but just over a year ago the tables were turned. I was the person who needed the RFDS to help save my life."
Matthew was out for dinner in Esperance where he was visiting for work when he started to feel extremely unwell. All it took was one bite of food and he knew something wasn’t right.
He decided to call it a night and rest before his emergency response exercise the next morning.
He woke up feeling even worse, arriving late to work, he immediately sought out the St John WA ambulance crew to check him out.
They looked Matthew over and said he was likely suffering from appendicitis. Not wanting to waste any time, he was rushed to Esperance Hospital for a scan.
"I remember hearing, 'your appendix has completely detached. You have a hole in your bowel. You need emergency surgery.'"
Matthew, former RFDS patient.As sepsis began to set in, his condition was rapidly deteriorating. A decision was made to call the Royal Flying Doctor Service to transfer Matthew to Perth for urgent surgery.
Having spent part of his childhood in remote Western Australia, Matthew was familiar with the RFDS and the role it plays caring for people living and working beyond metro regions.
"I always had a pipedream of flying with the RFDS one day — just not as a patient." Matthew said.
As the aircraft departed Esperance for Jandakot, Matthew found comfort knowing he was in safe hands with the RFDS WA crew and he'd soon receieve the critical care he urgently needed.
"As I was getting on the plane on my way to Fiona Stanley Hospital, I remember thinking to myself, 'I'm lying flat on a stretcher, in an RFDS plane with some of the best doctors and nurses right here with me. Everything's going to be okay.'"
"Every part of this experience was new for me. My first serious medical crisis. My first time in hospital. My first time relying on someone else in an emergency. If the RFDS hadn't been there to transfer me to Perth that day, I can't imagine what my life would be like now."
For Matthew, the experience was completely unexpected. Looking back, he knows the outcome could have
Having experienced firsthand what it means to rely on our service, Matthew wanted to help ensure others could access the same life-saving care when they needed it most.
Following his recovery, Matthew and his wife, Rebecca, wanted to give back to RFDS WA. Through Oceans to Outback, a cycling fundraising challenge, they raised almost $20,000 this year.
"This Christmas, I can't wait to spend the day with my family. The thought that I may not have been there to celebrate with them due to my medical emergency makes me emotional."
2025 was RFDS WA's busiest calendar year on record, with more than 10,500 patient retrievals across WA, and a further 6,000 patients treated at primary health care clinics.
Your support this Christmas will help provide some of the essential equipment carried in RFDS medical bags, ensuring our crews are ready to care for the next person who needs it.
All RFDS crews carry specialist medical bags on every flight.
These bags are pre-packed and colour-coded ready for any emergency they may face, so our doctors and nurses can get to their patients as quickly as possible.
Matthew experienced firsthand that every second counts when you need critical care and you don't need to live regionally to need the RFDS. You only need to be in a regional area when a health emergency strikes.
This festive season, your generous donation will help ensure people like Matthew across regional Western Australia don't have to face a medical emergency alone.
