KAREN:  Okay.  So now when did you become a health aide? 

LILLIAN:  My children were still elementary school age, and the youngest, I think, was about 8 years -- 6 or 8 years old.  And the people got together and the council, the city council, and they selected two of us. 

They -- well, they had to vote on which person they wanted for their health aide.  And I got the most votes, so I was selected.  And -- what year, what year was that.  '7 -- did I say in the '70s? 

KAREN:  Uh-hum. 

LILLIAN:  That's 20 -- about 25 years ago.  So... 

KAREN:  So 20 years ago would be 1985, so 1980, late '70s? 

LILLIAN:  Uh-hum (affirmative).  Somewhere around there. 
Anyway, I lived -- well, prior to that, I was -- I learned how to deliver babies with my mother-in-law.  So I was sort of a midwife.  The youngest midwife that worked within the village, and helped deliver babies. 

My mother-in-law is the one that worked with me.  And after she said that she could no longer -- and she taught me enough that I selected whoever I wanted to help me deliver babies because we had to be two.  There could be three or more if they wanted to come and help. 

But we had to go through sterilizing.  We had OB packs from the clinic and all the medication that was there.  And the health aide that was working, if they needed any shots, would give the shots.  And so I probably worked at least 10 years with that prior to being a health aide. 

And after I became a health aide, I did deliver a few babies, but not very many.  I started sending them to Bethel after I became a health aide.  I told them I thought that it would be best that they go to Bethel to deliver.  And so... 

KAREN:  So there was no longer a midwife --

LILLIAN:  No. 

KAREN:  -- after you became a health aide? 

LILLIAN:  Well, if we had an emergency, you know, we would have -- the health aide would -- should be the one to assist delivering.  And that didn't happen because we -- two weeks prior to delivery or having their child, they had to be at the hospital.  And which was good.  That was one worry off our mind. 

Otherwise, we had a few emergencies, very sick babies that we had to escort to the hospital with the mother. 

And there was one accident we had, bad accident, involved three people.  Rolled over in a truck.  One had broken ribs, the other one had broken arm.  The other one had scalp injury, torn.  It was a strange -- her scalp tore back like a cup. 

KAREN:  Across her forehead? 

LILLIAN:  Uh-hum.  Complete.  When we found her and picked her up, she was unconscious.  And it was raining real hard, and it collected water in the portion of her scalp.  And when we picked her up and brought her to the clinic, I had to remove that liquid from her head with towels, just press it over, because it was clear rainwater.  And she was unconscious up until she -- they medevaced to Bethel.  Yeah. 

The paramedic came from Aniak to pick them up, three of them.  Two -- two of the people, the other person had broken ribs, stayed -- stayed home.  And his mother being a prior health aide tended to him.

They both came through very well.  And just in case of infection, and you had no one there, I had to give them each a penicillin shot so they don't get infections. 

The one that was the worst had multiple fracture on that one arm.  And she's the one that I really had to tend to. 

And my health aide assistant that I had fainted.  She looked in her eyes, popping -- I needed someone real bad, so I sent for one of the women in the village to come and help me.  And she did.  And I kept my assistant with me, but I told her not to look because she watched me work at the woman's arm.  And I put -- we had inflatable casts. 

KAREN:  Splints? 

LILLIAN:  Uh-hum (affirmative).  Splints like, and I zipped her arm in after I got done.  And that was the worst part of it.  And she was conscious all the time.  In fact, she was the one that come and woke me up. 

KAREN:  Wow. 

LILLIAN:  And told me, said, I broke my arm.  And I looked at her.  She was holding it, and I had to walk to the clinic with her.  She was talking all the time and she was still... 

So she didn't feel much pain.  And I couldn't give her anything, you know.  I was ordered not to give her anything for pain on account of that. 
The other lady, she just -- we had her in the basket -- we had basket stretchers.  She was con -- she was not conscious, but she was -- we know she was -- she was breathing.  And they -- that was about one o'clock in the morning that happened. 

By daylight, the plane came and got them.  And we had no communication.  So I had to go and no phones, I had to go and get to a radio, and call -- the airline, the airline's phones, call for a plane. 

I didn't do it, I had somebody else do it for me.  And I went back and stayed with my patients until they left.  And the former health aide escorted them out, I think. 

KAREN:  Yeah. 

LILLIAN:  Uh-hum (affirmative).  Or the paramedic was there.  Thank God, he put IVs in them.  I didn't know how to put IVs at the time.  And I didn't want to.
 
KAREN:  So did you call a doctor for assistance? 

LILLIAN:  Uh-hum (affirmative).  He came over right away, as soon as he could.  And helped me prepare them for flight. 

KAREN:  Was there a doctor in Holy Cross? 

LILLIAN:  No.  He was in Aniak. 

KAREN:  Oh. 

LILLIAN:  He lived in Aniak, the paramedic did.  And he -- they flew him over with the plane.  And they waited until we got them prepared to take off. 

KAREN:  But you didn't get on the phone with the doctor in --

LILLIAN:  I did. 

KAREN:  In Bethel? 

LILLIAN:  No.  I talked to Aniak. 

KAREN:  Okay. 

LILLIAN:  And he talked to Bethel. 

KAREN:  Was there a hospital in Aniak at that time? 

LILLIAN:  They had a clinic. 

KAREN:  Okay. 

LILLIAN:  They still do.  Yeah.  And he was -- he was real good.  He stayed there in Aniak for about two or three years, I think.  Yeah.  He -- that's -- he flew from Aniak to the villages in -- in our area, that was four villages, if he had to. 

KAREN:  Yeah. 

LILLIAN:  Uh-hum (affirmative).  So...