In 1989, Marcus Grey flew into the remote village of Simbari to rescue Esther Dii, a critically ill eight-month-old baby. Today, more than three decades later, Esther meets the man that flew her to life-saving care.
Story by Tajs Jespersen
“I was praying all of this week, thinking, ‘What do you say?’ There are no right words to say except… Thank you.”
These are the words Esther Dii spoke when she finally got the chance to thank the Mission Aviation Fellowship pilot that helped save her life as a baby.
Growing up in the isolated community of Simbari in Papua New Guinea, where her parents served as health workers, Esther saw how the health centre relied on MAF for medical supplies, flights and especially medical evacuations.
There is one medevac she has no memory of herself, because she was the patient. This is why she is sharing her story with Australian MAF pilot, Marcus Grey.
When I was just eight months old, I became gravely ill with pneumonia,” Esther said. “My mother remembers calling Goroka, desperately asking for a flight.
“My mother explained that the patient was her own baby girl who had stopped eating and drinking and wasn’t responding to any treatment. All she could do then was pray and wait.”
The answer to their prayer could be heard shortly after, echoing through the mountain range.
“You were the one who answered that call,” said Esther to Marcus. “You flew into Simbari, you immediately saw the seriousness of my condition, and rushed us to Goroka.
I’m sharing my story in the hope of inspiring the future generation in Papua New Guinea, as well as to give glory to the Lord
“And you didn’t stop there—you personally drove us to the hospital to make sure we got the care we needed.
“My mother never forgot the way you went above and beyond that day. Through you, God answered her prayers—and I am alive today because of it.”
That experience has had a greater impact on her life than Marcus could ever have imagined.
“That was when I first got introduced to aviation and my love of flying… As far as I can remember, I have always wanted to fly and dreamed that one day, I would be behind the controls,” said Esther.
Fast forward 36 years – and Esther is now a medevac pilot herself, flying with CSI aviation in the United States.
“We serve rural communities, often Native American reservations, bringing critically ill patients to larger hospitals so they can get the treatment they need,” said Esther. “Every time I fly a sick child, I think of you. I think of the grace of God, and the day you helped save my life. Your example and kindness planted a seed in me that has grown into a life of service.”
It was quite a surprise for Marcus and his wife Julie, not only to meet Esther again, but also to learn that she had become a medevac pilot herself.
“It does our hearts good to hear that you have gone on with the Lord into sacrificial service using aviation, after you were saved by God in PNG,” said Marcus.
Their faith in God and willingness to serve selflessly is the very reason that Esther reached out to Marcus in the first place.
“I’m sharing my story in the hope of inspiring the future generation in Papua New Guinea, as well as to give glory to the Lord for what He has done and continues to do,” said Esther.
“I am a byproduct of the services that MAF has done and continues to do in PNG and all over the word.”