Cowboy gets pilot license to fly people in need to hospitals

June 16, 2012

Stan Brock decided to help others in need by flying them to hospitals when there was absolutely no other option. Stan himself was nearly killed when a horse kicked him in the head. He happened to be in the middle of the Amazon rain forest without a doctor for days if walking by foot. There was simply no medical care. If you were injured or sick, you were left to beat it on your own or pass away with millions of others.

Fortunately for Stan, he was able to make a full recovery all on his own. It took about a month, but many others are not so lucky.  That's when he realized he needed to do something about it.

Stan decided to get his pilot license so that he could fly sick and injured people to the closest hospital. Instead of taking days or even weeks, it would only take a few hours. In 1985, he took the next step and started the all-volunteer nonprofit, Remote Area Medical. Since it's beginning, Remote Area Medical has held over 650 medical clinics worldwide, providing free health care to hundreds of thousands of people.

Stan's career as a cowboy began in his late teens when he got a job herding cattle in British Guiana. He was eventually discovered and co-hosted the show "Wild Kingdom", an educational television series.

A lot of Stan's career, he was poor and homeless. He knew first hand what it was like to have no medical insurance. For all of these reasons he knew that helping others in similar situations was his calling.

Now Remote Area Medical is bigger than ever.  Over 70,000 people worldwide have donated and contributed to the cause.  Many are doctors  and nurses who volunteer on their days off. Medical supplies are often donated.

It's amazing what difference one person can make in the world. All it takes is a little initiative and drive. Watch the video below.