Midwife of Borneo: The True Story of a Geordie Pioneer

In 1959, Wendy Grey, a young district nurse, lives in one of the remotest corners of the world. Officially, she is employed as a health worker running a dispensary as part of the Anglican mission in Tongud in North Borneo. However, as the only medical practitioner in the region―apart from local witch doctors―she is obliged to carry out every procedure her patients require, or watch people die. And so Wendy finds herself diagnosing diseases, performing operations (acting as both anesthetist and surgeon), delivering babies, and extracting teeth. When news reaches her of patients too sick to come to the dispensary, she undergoes long and arduous journeys, often travelling for hundreds of miles through the jungle in a dug-out canoe to reach them. Back home, supporters are uplifted by Wendy's selfless, cheerful ministry, horrified by her accounts of close encounters with snakes and crocodiles, and stirred by her courage in the face of unimaginable challenges. Based on Wendy Grey's vividly detailed diaries, her many letters and the extensive newspaper coverage generated during her three-year mission, this is the story of a young district nurse who responds to a call for aid from Christians in one of the remotest corners of the world.