a small decision that changed their lives forever.... Sea Planes Don't Fly at Night by Jeff & Clare Curtis

Successful young couple Jeff and Clare Curtis are enjoying a romantic babymoon in the Maldives when Clare goes into premature labour, nine weeks early. The nearest hospital is a storm-ridden boat ride away, as it soon becomes clear that the lives of mother and child are in jeopardy. Can they get medical help in time?

Description:

Published: October 2019

It was a small decision that changed their lives forever.

Successful young couple Jeff and Clare Curtis are enjoying a romantic babymoon in the Maldives when Clare goes into premature labour, nine weeks early. The nearest hospital is a storm-ridden boat ride away, as it soon becomes clear that the lives of mother and child are in jeopardy. Can they get medical help in time?

With the storm continuing to rage, the events that follow stretch Clare and Jeff’s mental, emotional and physical limits to breaking point. Working as a team, they call on their own resources, the assistance of strangers and even divine intervention – whatever it takes to save the life of their unborn child.

Clare and Jeff have written this book to thank the many people who did what they could to help save the life of their premature baby. In a world where segregation and violence are often seen as commonplace, the world they discovered was one of kindness and support. Join them on their personal journey back into the depths of their worst fears, as they retell their quest to save the life of their child and bring him home alive.

EXCERPT

{Clare}

I felt relief wash over me for the first time since the ordeal had begun. Finally, things were slowing down and there was time to consider our next decision with a bit more deliberation. I had felt sure that I was not having contractions in the first place. What was more, I felt no differently now although, looking back, I obviously had no benchmark to compare anything with. All my focus was homed in on the large doses of constant discomfort, and bouts of terror during the initial panic and subsequent boat ride. But at least I knew that I was in a hospital and in safe hands. Well, safer hands.

From there they wheeled me up the corridor and past the baby intensive care room. The door was open a crack revealing a large room that was empty apart from a few boxes piled in the corner. As we entered the labour room, I saw it was clean, but very, very basic. There was a toilet in the corner, which to my western eyes looked freakishly out of place. That gave me cause for concern as I stepped up on the bed and Jeff was, once again, ushered out of the room.

Not one to give in easily, Jeff stayed right outside the room, refusing to go any further. From where I lay, I saw him pull the curtain back a smidgen so he could see and hear what was going on with me. Again, I relaxed just a little more, knowing he was as close as possible.

In the middle of the vaginal exam the gynaecologist said to me, ‘Your cervix is closed and now that you have your steroids, I would like to give you a second injection that should delay the onset of labour. But first you must get your heart rate down, under 120 BPM. And, don’t worry. Nothing will happen right this moment.’ This was excellent news and I started to calm down inside. But, most of all, I wanted Jeff to be at my side.

{Jeff}

I could barely hear, but I hung on every word, and finally it was my turn to feel a wave of relief. If I understood the gynaecologist correctly, nothing would happen tonight. Clare would be given the other injection and then get some rest and, hopefully, we would return to our hotel on Randheli Island in the morning. Perfect. That is good, I thought to myself. Back to where we were before this nightmare. From Randheli Island we could fly back to Dubai via the capital Malé and, once home in Dubai, would enjoy some of the best medical care in the world.

It was almost 1am. I was dead tired, and I wondered how Clare was feeling, just a few steps away from me as I stood in the doorway to the labour room, at the Noonu Atoll Hospital, on Manadhoo Island. She must have been worried and, though I desperately wanted to go to her, I realised I would have to bide my time as I did not want to find myself at war with the hospital staff.

Just then, the prickly gynaecologist exited the labour room and walked straight up to me. Totally deadpan, he said, ‘Your wife is three centimetres dilated. The baby will come tonight. I might be able to save your wife, but you must accept that we will lose your baby.’

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About the authors: 

Jeff Curtis has lived with his wife, Clare, in the Middle East for close to 14 years and is a true entrepreneur in every sense of the word. A former oil trader who has a little more time on his hands these days has experimented with a number of hobbies, in which he can now boast being a trained barista, racing driver, pilot and even a certified Reiki practitioner. Jeff is now first and foremost a family man who has immersed himself in the diversity of life in the Middle East and used his geographic location as a steppingstone to travel to many countries of the world and experience a host of cultures far removed from his European heritage.

Jeff discovered his writing talents when a real-life drama rocked the family that threw him and Clare into a life and death scenario. Jeff has managed to turn a life-changing event into a gripping thriller as the couple take you on their personal journey in which they discover their true inner strengths, as well as a world that we sometimes fear has been lost, a kind one. Jeff writes with the emotion and drama, which the story demands, whilst sharing his own dry humor which helped them get through what was an unfathomable event. 

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