Last year, the Starship National Air Ambulance flew 176 times and more than 140,000 kilometres transporting sick children around the country to desperately needed medical care.
One of those was then-newborn Christchurch baby Marley Gentleman, who unbeknownst to anyone had a small but deadly kidney defect which almost claimed his life.
Devoted parents Katie and Ryan recall the first sign something wasn’t right with their 10-day-old son, when a normally cruisy Marley was miserable and wouldn’t settle.
A phone call