Sij Hemal, a 27-year-old intern at the Cleveland Clinic in the United States, had no idea what would happen on his visit to his best friend. He had a great time in New Delhi and was on his way back to New York. Hemal chose to slumber because the travel was long (it took 8 hours). Then a message on the plane’s speakerphone foiled his plans: “Are there doctors on board?” “Would you please raise your hand?”

After raising his hand, a flight attendant approached the young intern. One of the passengers on the trip became ill, according to the flight attendant. Toyin Ogindipe, 41, of the United Kingdom, who had also been to New York, complained of severe chest pain and dizziness. He approached the woman and requested that she be examined. Toyin was wrapped in a warm blanket and refused to take it off.

However, the woman was soon obliged to confess the reason of her ailment: Toyin had gone into labor at 39 weeks pregnant. She also covered a huge tummy with the help of a plaid; after all, Toyin would not have been allowed on board if the flight attendants had recognized him. When the plane’s crew discovered what was wrong, they began to consider their options.

There were two options: land as soon as possible at the nearest airport or load a passenger directly onto the plane. It takes at least two hours to fly to the nearest airfield. Hemal realized the pregnant traveler couldn’t stay any longer, so the young doctor chose to deliver the baby himself. Despite his urology education, Hemal attended births on a frequent basis during his medical practice.

Hemal determined that he was capable of handling the forthcoming duty and urged the crew to continue the journey. Stephanie Ortolan, a pediatrician from Paris, was fortunately on board the plane. Stephanie accepted the position of Hemal’s personal assistant. Toyin was relocated to business class (where there were fewer passengers) and began her pregnancy preparations. When the newly-made mother arrived in New York, she went to the nearest hospital, but she was discharged after only a few hours! And the airline honored Hemal for his bravery with a bottle of champagne.