Why we fly
Keith’s Story
“My wife and I have always supported the air ambulance charity but now it is really close to my heart – literally! “he says.
Keith Mosley was sitting on his golf buggy waiting to play a shot on the 17th fairway at Chesterfield Golf Club when he collapsed and slid to the ground.
Fellow golfers immediately put him in the recovery position and staff phoned the emergency services. When paramedics arrived they were very concerned about Keith’s erratic heartbeat and shallow breathing so Derbyshire Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance was called to airlift him to hospital.
Keith (75) had suffered a cardiac arrest and had blood clots in his brain and heart.
He was flown to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield where he had another heart attack and he was put into an induced coma.
“When my wife arrived she was told to expect the worse but luckily I came through. The surgeon told me later that the air ambulance getting me to the hospital so quickly saved my life. I wouldn’t be here today without it,” says Keith.
After five days his condition had stabilised enough for him to be woken from the coma. He continued to recover in the critical care and high dependency units until he was well enough to be fitted with a defibrillator in his chest. After nearly two weeks in hospital he was discharged.
“One minute I was on the golf course, the next thing I remember was waking up in hospital five days later,” recalls Keith.
He has vowed to raise the £1,700 cost of his rescue mission as a thank you to the local air ambulance and has already presented a cheque for £500 to the charity. The golf club has also chosen DLRAA as the captain’s charity for 2018.
“My wife and I have always supported the air ambulance charity but now it is really close to my heart – literally! “he says.
Keith’s rescue happened in November 2017 and since then he has made steady progress to the point where he can hit some balls on the driving range. He has completed a cardiac rehabilitation course and is looking forward to joining the Dicky Tickers heart support group in Chesterfield.
As a member of Chesterfield Golf Club for 36 years and a past captain, he is hoping to get onto the golf course for shorter games as his health continues to improve. However, his goal is to play the full 18 holes again.
“I am still alive and that’s the most important thing – and it’s all thanks to the air ambulance being available when I needed it. The work they do is absolutely wonderful and I will never be able to thank them enough for saving my life,” he says.