1 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: Hello, friends, Welcome to Story Behind podcast. This is the 2 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: show for people who love hearing a good story and 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,720 Speaker 1: who believe the world could use more positivity. We're the 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: team behind God Updates and God Too, and we hope 5 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: these weekly short stories will brighten your day. 6 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:29,159 Speaker 2: A woman gives birth to baby on airplane with the 7 00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 2: help of passengers. Written by The Wriggleman, read by Jully Provost. 8 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,000 Speaker 2: A woman gives birth to a baby on an airplane 9 00:00:36,159 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 2: with the help of passengers. Some little girls enter the 10 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 2: world quietly, softly, wrapped in warm blankets under glowing hospital lights, 11 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:45,960 Speaker 2: while the family waits with flowers, cameras and tears of joy. 12 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 2: And then there are baby girls who decided they're going 13 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 2: to make an entrance somewhere above thirty thousand feet over 14 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 2: the Pacific Northwest. Because God knew of this perfect little 15 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 2: girl's arrival, he had two angels in the flesh on board. 16 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 2: A woman named Ashley was aboard a Delta flight traveling 17 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 2: from Lanta to Portland when labor suddenly began mid flight. 18 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,920 Speaker 2: She helped deliver the sweet baby girl about thirty minutes 19 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 2: before the plane made an emergency landing at Portland International Airport. 20 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,840 Speaker 2: Around ten PM, two oregan EMTs, Tina Fritz and Karen Powell, 21 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,600 Speaker 2: happened to be on board returning from the patient when 22 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 2: a flight attendant made the call asking for medical personnel 23 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 2: to ring their service spells. Then the steward came up 24 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 2: to us and he goes, hey, we have a lady 25 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 2: upfront who thinks she's going into labor. Contractions are about 26 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,120 Speaker 2: three minutes apart. Can you guys check her out? Tina remarked. 27 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 2: She hurried up the aisle to assess the usual situation 28 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,480 Speaker 2: and immediately realized there was no time to wait. I 29 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 2: asked for an OBI kit, which they did not have. 30 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:40,920 Speaker 2: I asked for blankets, which they did not have, Tina explained. 31 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 2: So I was like, okay, we need to get blankets 32 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 2: from passengers. I need some shoe strings. And this is 33 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,720 Speaker 2: the part that feels so deeply human and beautiful to me. 34 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 2: Strangers immediately became helpers. Passengers handed over blankets, and flight 35 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 2: attendant pulled out his own shoe strings so the EMTs 36 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:58,080 Speaker 2: could improvise medical care. Somewhere between the turbulence and the 37 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 2: panic and the prayers whispering through that cabin, complete, strangers 38 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 2: came together to help welcome a brand new life into 39 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 2: the world. No one cared about carry on bags or 40 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,399 Speaker 2: delayed schedules anymore. There was a baby coming, she said, 41 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,280 Speaker 2: like I got a push. I got a push, Tina recalled, 42 00:02:11,320 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: and within three really good pushes, the baby was out 43 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 2: and doing perfect. Mom was a rock star, and every 44 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 2: mother reading this probably whispered amen, because childbirth has a 45 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 2: way of turning women into warriors. In the span of minutes, 46 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 2: Tina said, they wrapped the baby girl up just as 47 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 2: the plane began touching down, and then came the moment 48 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:30,079 Speaker 2: that probably left hardly a dry eye on the plane. 49 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 2: The whole plane cheered for Mom. Tina said, it was great. 50 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 2: Can you imagine it, an entire plane full of strangers 51 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:38,760 Speaker 2: erupting into applause somewhere on the runway in Portland, while 52 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 2: a brand new mama held her tiny miracle in her 53 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 2: arms for the first time, and a baby girl entered 54 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 2: the world surrounded by chaos and kindness and people showing 55 00:02:45,880 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 2: up for one another. Born in nineteen eighteen, this one 56 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 2: hundred and eight year old woman has no plans of 57 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:07,959 Speaker 2: slowing down any time soon. Ridden by MICHAELA. Gardonian, my 58 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 2: Budgeley Provost. One woman born in nineteen eighteen is still 59 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 2: going strong in Dover, Delaware. She's one hundred and eight 60 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 2: years old, exercises every day and still drives. She's an 61 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 2: astonishment to anyone who knows her, but every year that 62 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 2: goes by. Susan Young Brown grew up during segregation on 63 00:03:24,919 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 2: a farm without running water or electricity. In the nineteen 64 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 2: forty she attended Delaware State College for Colored Students and 65 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 2: spent thirty years teaching in Delaware. When I retired and 66 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 2: I walked around the classroom for thirty years, she thought, 67 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 2: I'm not going to sit down, and she certainly hasn't. 68 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 2: Every morning she does a twenty minute exercise routine and 69 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 2: a tansit group exercise class at the Modern Maturity Center 70 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 2: in Dover three times a week. She visited the center 71 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:51,400 Speaker 2: since nineteen seventy three and is one of the organization's 72 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 2: first members. The center gave her a reserve parking spot 73 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 2: for those over one hundred. Her one hundred and eighth 74 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,160 Speaker 2: birthday party had over one hundred and thirty attendees, including 75 00:04:00,160 --> 00:04:03,960 Speaker 2: Delaware Governor Matt Meyer. Susan was married twice in her lifetime. 76 00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:06,320 Speaker 2: The one hundred and eight year old jokes, I guess 77 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 2: I'm not great material for men. That was enough. I'm 78 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 2: not taking care of another man. But she still has 79 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 2: plenty of family, including several children and great grandchildren. One 80 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 2: of her family's favorite things is her famous seven up 81 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 2: pound cake, which they enjoy on special occasions in which 82 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 2: Susan herself makes. It's just incredible that Susan has lived 83 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 2: as long as she has. She's lived through the last 84 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:28,840 Speaker 2: part of World War One and World War Two, and 85 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,599 Speaker 2: that's not something many people can say. Her cheerful and 86 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 2: lighthearted spirit and determination to stay healthy kept her going. 87 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,839 Speaker 2: I know she's a true inspiration to everyone she meets. 88 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening to story Behind podcast. 89 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 1: We're really glad you joined us for this week's story. 90 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:55,240 Speaker 1: To see photos and videos that may have been referenced 91 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:58,120 Speaker 1: in this episode, check out the links and the show notes, 92 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: and if you enjoyed what you heard today, subscribe to 93 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: our podcast and please tell a friend about us. We'd 94 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,200 Speaker 1: also love it if you'd rate us and leave us 95 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,160 Speaker 1: a review. It really does help more people find us. 96 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,440 Speaker 1: Story Behind is a Salem Web Network production.