Ambulance membership a relief in face of second medical emergency.
When Heinrich Makkink was being rushed to hospital in an ambulance last August for the second time in a month, he probably wondered what else 2022 could throw at him.
In March the Auckland pensioner and retired schoolteacher, who now works as a teacher aide, was diagnosed with leukaemia; in early August he was taken to hospital by ambulance suffering from a bad case of pneumonia; then later the same month he had a heart attack and once again was being rushed to hospital in an ambulance.
Makkink says he realised he was having a heart attack when woken by severe chest pains about 4.30am.
“I initially thought it was just indigestion, but the pain was bad, and I sat on the edge of the bed clutching my chest. My wife Christina woke up and immediately called an ambulance which got here in 10 minutes.”
“I’d never seen the inside of an ambulance in my life,” says Makkink, now aged in his late 60s. “I hope I never have to do so again.”
One thing he is glad about, however, is that soon after his first emergency dash, he and Christina signed up for a joint St John Ambulance Membership for $75 - a move which meant that unlike his first ride to hospital, any other trip either of them needed that year would be free of charge.
When paying his $98 fee for his first ambulance call-out, Makkink read an enclosed flyer detailing the membership and thought, for his peace of mind, it would be a good idea to sign up.
It was just as well: A mere two days after taking out the membership he was struck by his heart attack in the early hours of the morning.
“I’m very thankful I had the membership,” he says. “Although I’ve been troubled with angina before, I’d never had a heart attack. It was a very frightening experience, but the ambulance guys were cool, calm and professional.”
He was thankful from a financial point of view too. “We need to look after our finances very carefully. We’re on a pension and although we are both working (Christina has a part-time job), we still have a stiff mortgage to pay.”
Pip Garrett, National Ambulance Membership Manager at Hato Hone St John, says having a membership not only gives peace of mind, but can also reduce financial barriers to calling 111 for those most vulnerable and in need.
“Medical emergencies are unexpected and stressful for everyone involved,” she says. “Most do not expect to need an ambulance but emergencies can happen to anyone at any time and a membership takes some of the worry out of the situation so people can concentrate on the important things like family and on feeling better.”
Fortunately, Makkink - who is still undergoing treatment for leukaemia - was back home after a week in hospital, although he says he has not yet made a full recovery: “I’m not as strong as I used to be and walking short distances tires me out.”
The Makkink’s, who moved to New Zealand from South Africa 17 years ago, did have some good news to report though. Their eldest son, who lives in Poland with his wife and two children, and their daughter who lives in South Africa with her partner and two children, flew to Auckland for Christmas.
Makkink says it was very special to have his grandchildren back. “The youngest (she is 10) lives in Poland and we’d never met her. We’d only ever seen her on Skype; she told me she had always had the feeling we existed only in a computer.”
He says he will be keeping his St John membership up: “Even if we don’t ever use it again, it still gives peace of mind, and you can’t put a value on that.”
The membership fees are $55 per year for an individual, $75 per year for a joint membership (covers two people living permanently at the same address) and $90 for a household membership (three or more people living permanently at the same address).
Funds from the memberships also help Hato Hone St John provide new vehicles, equipment, and support for the community.
For more information on the ambulance membership go to: stjohn.org.nz/support-us/join-our-supporter-scheme/
For Terms and Conditions visit: stjohn.org.nz/support-us/supporters-scheme/terms-and-conditions---supporter-scheme/
