15. The one in hospital

Current weather: 38/23°C
Total distance travelled: 8898km (+1071km)

Having been held up in Katherine awaiting COVID test results, we arrived in Darwin a day later than planned, which just happened to be on my (Carolyn’s) birthday. Thankfully not having COVID, but still feeling quite unwell, a visit to the local GP quickly confirmed I had developed a chest infection, while Matt still wasn't feeling too great either.

In our eagerness to explore Darwin’s Mindil Beach Markets, we soldiered on to the bustling foreshore market stalls before going to the beach. Much to our delight, our friends, the Witnish family, joined us at the markets and together, we enjoyed a breathtaking sunset on the foreshore that seemed to last for ages. Busy catching up with our friends, we didn’t spend much time moseying the stores, so planned to revisit the markets later in the week. Unfortunately, this wasn’t to be.

The next day, we visited Crocosaurus

Cove with our friends, the Macreadies, who we had randomly run into in Mataranka. The kids had an absolute ball, seeing big crocs both above and below the water, even having the opportunity to feed some saltys, much to their delight!ikewise, they enjoyed the substantial reptile display and a swim in the pool.

The next day’s adventures included the Palmerston Water Park, again with the Macreadies. It was so lovely having some friends to enjoy these activities with! Surprisingly, these incredible water facilities are free, but when all beaches and waterways are infested with crocs, at least the locals (and tourists) have somewhere safe to cool off. The ‘race slide’ was a clear favourite, projecting us airborne while racing each other!

It was after this that Matt’s health went south. We returned home after the water park to a boiling hot caravan with an air conditioner refusing to run, which didn't help with the headache and fatigue Matt had already been struggling to shake since arriving in Darwin 2 days earlier. Either aided or masked by the stifling heat, Matt’s body temperature rose unnoticed. As he writes:

"It wasn't until the delusions started that I had any idea that something unusual was happening... it started in my hands, which although remaining completely normal size, began to FEEL like they had blown up to be the size and weight of watermelons! Picking up and manipulating objects with my hands became difficult, with the sensation then spreading up my arms and into my face. It was at this point I knew an ambulance needed to be called, although I worried I'd be wasting their precious time."

"Thankfully they arrived quickly (relieving a kind stranger of the duty to guide the ambulance to our site), and their diagnosis didn't take long either: sepsis with a temperature of 39.9°C. Whatever bug I had was running riot, and they were taking me straight to hospital!
Further observation while en route showed my temperature spiking at 40.1°C, but a combination of panadol and intravenous fluids soon began to bring it down slowly. This gave the paramedics the confidence to stay away from the hustle & bustle of Royal Darwin Hospital, and instead take me to Palmerston Regional Hospital - which was the exact opposite of my experiences in public hospitals in Melbourne: quiet, new, well staffed, well resourced. Funding obviously isn't a problem around here! My time in hospital was largely spent riding a body temperature roller-coaster while answering the same medical questions for every doctor who visited to attempt a diagnosis."

"Looking back now, we see so many coincidental threads of our past weeks' travels

suddenly finding their purpose. Arriving in the NT 15 days prior meant I could be sent to a major hospital. 14 or less and I'd be shipped off to the medical centre at the Howard Springs quarantine facility.
Getting our COVID tests for Arhnem Land permits meant I could get treated sooner, rather than needing to prove my fever wasn't COVID-related first. Our random meeting with the Macreadies meant they were able to mind our children, even for a sleepover, while Carolyn stayed with me in hospital.

To add more complexity, a 3-day snap lockdown was called in Darwin, which meant no visitors could come into the hospital, and the pools at the caravan park were closed. All while the air conditioning in the caravan was still refusing to run! Ironically, a bushfire provided an escape, with the neighbouring bushland catching fire, leaving Carolyn with little choice but to escape the smoke haze!

Needless to say, our time in Darwin didn’t quite go as hoped or planned. However, we are incredibly grateful to see God’s fingerprints on all the circumstances surrounding Matt’s hospital visit. He truly carried us through it and we praise Him for enabling Matt to return to full health and for his abundant provision for and care of us.