Mum thanks air ambulance for special ‘gift’

Teacher Kathy Bly is sharing the story of how she was rescued and airlifted by Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance for the charity’s 2018 Christmas fundraising appeal.n“I couldn’t believe it when I found out that the charity receives no government funding, which is why I agreed to be featured. The air ambulance has certainly touched my life and my family’s, so we will be forever thankful to them. You literally don’t know when you might need them and the difference they can make,” she says.nKathy was 35 weeks pregnant when the car she was driving was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle on black ice.nnIt was her last week at work before going on maternity leave and she was travelling from her home at Hatton near Warwick to school.nnA land ambulance attended the scene of the accident and Kathy’s injuries were assessed. She had sustained a broken shoulder, but paramedics were concerned that her unborn baby may be at risk if the impact of the crash had damaged the placenta.nnDue to the icy weather conditions and the urgent need to check the baby, it was decided to transfer Kathy to the nearby hospital in Coventry by air ambulance.nnIt took just a few minutes to fly her to the urgent medical treatment she needed and after a scan doctors decided to perform an emergency caesarean section under general anaesthetic.nnKathy’s first child Ben was born weighing 5lb 3oz and, thankfully, he was completely healthy. He is now a happy and healthy nine year old who is looking forward to spending Christmas at the family home in Solihull.n“I am so grateful for the role the air ambulance played in Ben’s arrival, because without them he might not be here today. We will never forget the dramatic part they played in his birth,” says Kathy.n nn