A Porcupine Plain woman and her one-year-old toddler are healthy today thanks to the quick response of a rural medical team. Amber Hoffus was in labour on the Sunday morning of a long weekend when severe and potentially fatal complications called for an emergency C-section. Her doctor called a friend in Melfort when the case couldn’t be handled in Saskatoon and Dr. Eben Strydom pulled the medical team together while Hoffus and her doctor raced to Melfort by ambulance.
The surgeon Dr. Strydom called in Prince Albert awoke from a deep sleep, got his plane ready and flew to Melfort arriving just as the rest of the team got Amber ready for the proceedure. Dr. Strydom says the operation went smoothly. He says mobilizing rural medical professionals quickly when emergencies happen is not unusual. However Strydom admits this case was unique.