Libby mom and preemie share air ambulance experience at ALERT banquet

Verity Thorne remembers the fear that came with hearing her 2-month-old son, born prematurely and having spent his first days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, needed to go to Salt Lake City for life saving care.

But knowing he was in the capable hands of Logan Health doctors and the helicopter-bound Advanced Life-support Emergency Rescue Team, also known as A.L.E.R.T., eased the Libby mother’s worries.

“I felt really comfortable just because of how well Logan Health handled all of their situations and how they were with us. So, it was really comforting to know that and I wasn't really too worried about him having to fly out there,” Thorne said.

Thorne and her son’s story will be highlighted during the 45th annual A.L.E.R.T. Banquet on Saturday. Hosted by the A.L.E.R.T. Advisory Board and Logan Health, the event raises funds for the medical flight program, which has responded to more than 20,000 emergency calls since its inception in 1975.

Thorne’s son Calum McCully was born prematurely at 25 weeks old. Small enough to be considered a “micro-preemie,” he weighed 1 pound and 6 ounces. He was struggling with two conditions that affect premature babies, including patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA, which is a persistent opening between the two major blood vessels leading from the heart, as well as retinopathy of prematurity, which happens when abnormal blood vessels grow in the retina.

After spending two months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or the NICU, at Logan Health in Kalispell he was flown to Salt Lake City to get a coil placed in his heart and to see one of the nation’s only preemie retinologists.

Thorne drove to Salt Lake City for what was supposed to be a one-week stay, but it turned into a three week trip. Calum’s dad was only able to be present for the weekend and no other family was nearby. It was rough at the hospital, said Thorne, who missed the trust and security she felt at Logan Health. She asked daily when they could get the green light to go home.

When that day finally arrived, Thorne learned it could be a while before the Salt Lake City hospital could arrange a flight back for McCully. The news, though good, left her heartbroken in a way, she said.

“And then about two hours later, I got a call from the hospital again,” Thorne recalled. “I was so shocked because within two hours of getting the green light somehow Logan Health got the word that Calum was good to come back and had made a plan.”

She cried tears of joy to find out that A.L.E.R.T. was going out of their way to save her and Calum again by arranging a flight the next day to take them home.

“It was just so nice, because the flight crew all walked through the door with smiles from ear to ear. It was such a relief just because of their whole demeanor,” Thorne said.

Over the past three years, the hospital’s highly-trained medical flight crew and pediatric specialists established the first neonatal-pediatric transport team in Montana, which allows flight nurses to provide NICU-level care both on the ground and in the air, according to Logan Health.

“We’ve dedicated our lives caring for these patients, like Verity and Calum, and whether they have a choice in it or not, we are immersed in their family during this critical time,” A.L.E.R.T. neonatal-pediatric flight nurse Brian Stewart said. “Due to community support, we have the infant life support equipment needed to take care of the tiniest babies in these critical moments. With Montana being such a remote state, these babies simply wouldn’t survive without this specialized form of transportation and care. I take such pride in my work and in our team when a parent trusts us to keep their baby safe and warm.”

Calum is now doing great at 11 months old. He weighs 15 pounds and his mom calls him her “miracle baby.” Given how young he was born, it’s lucky he did not develop any long-lasting issues, she said.

Thorne’s thankful the A.L.E.R.T. program exists.

“We were so taken care of, and it was awesome, because of how much they communicated with us. Like that was huge — we knew where Calum was at any time, whether he was on the ground or in the air,” Thorne said.

All proceeds from the A.L.E.R.T. Banquet supports the program by providing the flight team with the resources and equipment they need to continue saving lives and helping patients.

The banquet takes place from 5:30 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 at the Trade Center Building in the Flathead County Fairgrounds.

Tickets include a cocktail hour, dinner buffet, live musical entertainment and the opportunity to bid on items, art and experiences at the live and silent auctions. Those unable to attend the event can donate or bid on silent auction items at www.logan.org/ALERTbanquet.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing tinman@dailyinterlake.com.