Captain & Family Give So Others Can Live

As they walked along the beach, Captain Jeremy listened as the PNG man told him of how he had been widowed. The man’s wife had died while giving birth, making her one of many women in PNG (as many as 1 in 7) to have her life cut short in this way. Once again, Jeremy was reminded that this statistic heard so often isn’t just a number, but that behind all the numbers are faces of individuals who are affected by these tragedies.
Though there are many hardships that people in PNG face, Jeremy empathises with this one in a much more real way as of late, since his wife, Lori, just gave birth to their first son in September. Jeremy and Lori are incredibly grateful for the resources available that gave both mum and baby Montgomery a safe and healthy delivery and hope that someday it will be the same for mums in PNG. They not only have this hope but have dedicated their lives to making this hope a reality.
Jeremy, an American, and Lori, a Canadian, met on the Pacific Link in 2002 but didn’t take notice of each other right away. Once they did, it didn’t take long until they knew that they wanted to get married. Jeremy comments that when working together on the medical ship, “You pretty much automatically have the same motivation, inspiration, and drive. So a lot of those important qualities that you need to have in common are already there.” While they led an outreach to the Philippines together, he noticed how she cared for team members and appreciated that quality very much. After three months of dating, he popped the question and Lori said yes! They were married in 2008 in New Zealand and became Mr and Mrs Schierer.
These days, Jeremy and Lori no longer live on board the medical ship but have a house in Townsville, which they are especially thankful for now that they have begun their family. As the sail date draws nearer for the ship to journey back to PNG, Jeremy and Lori face the longest time they’ve been apart since they’ve been married. But this couple is a team and although Lori and baby “Monty” won’t sail with Jeremy, they know that they each have their part to play.
“It’s not just me going off to do this,” says Jeremy, “it’s our whole family agreeing to make this sacrifice. The reality is that in order to operate the ship, someone must go.” Lori stands in agreement: “It’s a mission for all of us… which gives me a sense of purpose and that I’m not being left behind; I’m as involved as he is.”