Mae Anne Manipud-Lim, a Philippine Airlines flight attendant, was on a routine duty day in October 2019. She was a flight attendant on a PAL flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Manila, Philippines. Mae assisted Nanay Erlinda, an 84-year-old senior citizen traveling alone, during boarding. She had a brief conversation with Nanay Erlinda, whom she described as cheerful.
During a lull in the flight, just as Mae was about to clean the lavatories, a man began calling for assistance in an urgent tone. Mae rushed to the man’s aid and discovered Nanay Erlinda unconscious and without a pulse. It could have been a panic moment for Mae, but she kept her cool and applied what she had learned during her flight attendant training.
In this case, the attending flight attendant informs the purser and requests a medical practitioner on board. When this occurs, the flight attendant examines the victim before performing CPR or any other procedure. Just as Mae was about to start CPR, someone touched her shoulder, and a doctor arrived. The doctor then performed all necessary procedures, with assistance from the crew using the on-board medical equipment. All of this was taking place at 41,000 feet above the ground.
Nanay Erlinda’s eyes moved, but she needed to be stabilized, so the crew on board assisted the doctor.
Things were not over yet
When Nanay Erlinda’s case was deemed to be resolved, another passenger a few rows away experienced a medical emergency. The passenger was having a panic attack. While the other crew members rushed to assist the second passenger, another doctor arrived and assisted the passenger.
After an hour, a third passenger developed asthma. As the crew began to attend to the passenger, a different doctor immediately stepped forward. As doctors on board assisted the cabin crew, all passengers were well taken care of.
A realization
Mae then realized something special had happened that day. On board PAL flight 219 back to Manila, there were not three, not four, but a total of 17 doctors! Not only that, but two of the other cabin crew members, Mark Mauricio and K-Anne Meneses, were nurses and knew exactly what to do.
All three passengers were also provided each an oxygen bottle to use.
Mae did experience stomach pains later on, and the doctors gave her some medication after the flight.
Everyone was saved thanks to the quick actions of Ms. Matche Manuel, the PAL purser on board, her cabin crew, and, most importantly, the 17 doctors on board. They looked after the three passengers while the rest of the crew looked after the others.
On board PAL 219, it was truly a miracle. Despite three passengers suffering from potentially fatal medical conditions, everyone arrived safely. Thank you to the highly trained cabin crew, and the doctors who all assisted each other in taking care of the three passengers. Thanks also to the PAL aircraft being fully equipped with medical equipment and first aid kit.
It served as a reminder to Mae that there are no coincidences in this world. Everything happens for a reason, and God had a special reason for putting 17 doctors and two cabin crew nurses on board PR219.
It was not a typical flight for this Philippine Airlines flight attendant; it was a special flight, one that she described as “God was onboard this flight.” As Mae drove home after her flight, she stopped and smiled, thanking God for allowing her to be a flight attendant and for feeling His presence on board.
God did send his angels onboard PR219, which included 17 doctors and cabin crew.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
