Our Charity partner, The Children’s Air Ambulance successfully enjoyed their maiden flight recently, helping 1 day old Theo in the process. We began supporting The Children’s Air Ambulance in 2012 and after much hard work from their team and some support from our team they’re finally up in the air helping to save lives!
Here’s the great story of their first ever transfer of a neonatal patient from local hospital to a paediatric care centre:
On Saturday 11th May, 1 day old Theo was transferred on a 15 minute flight from Scarborough Hospital to Hull Royal Infirmary following complications during his birth. After his birth, doctors realised that he needed an operation on his windpipe. His parents were distraught and feared a long ambulance journey, until The Children’s Air Ambulance stepped in.
At 0925 Pilots Shaun Tinkler Rose and Paul Hogan took off from Coventry Airport in the Agusta 109 Grand helicopter, specially adapted to carry the latest specialist paediatric medical equipment. They collected a specialist medical team from Embrace headquarters and travelled to Scarborough Hospital to pick up little Theo. Once Theo was on board, flight time to Hull took a mere 15 minutes.
The Children’s Air Ambulance lead pilot Shaun Tinkler Rose said: “We estimated that by road this journey would have taken over an hour. Our total flight time was only 15 minutes with the patient on board. As we flew along, we could see congested roads and the difficulty a land ambulance would face especially if it needed to travel in rush hour traffic. It’s cases like this where every minute can, and does, count.”
After arriving at Hull Royal Infirmary, Theo underwent a tracheo-oesophageal fistula operation and is now recovering well with no expected complications. Great news!
Andy Williamson, CEO of The Children’s Air Ambulance, said:
“When a baby or child needs specialist help, the speed at which they receive the treatment is vital. We have been fundraising all year for this and it is fantastic to see the first potentially lifesaving transfer run so smoothly. This is the first of many paediatric transfers we will complete this year and our service will make a significant impact on the survival and recovery of hundreds of youngsters.”
The launch follows efforts by fundraisers and volunteers in the North West, including ourselves, who’ve been donating our time and our money to help this great cause.
David Reeves, Regional Fundraising Manager for the North, said: “It is thanks to people who have supported us in the North West and beyond that we have been able to help save a child’s life, and many more in the near future. Now we need the community to come out in force to get behind The Children’s Air Ambulance and raise money for the charity”
