Why we fly

Patrick’s Story

“Patrick is often referred to as a walking miracle by all who know him, including his GP. It is almost as if Patrick had every green light from taking his last breath that Friday morning to arriving at Glenfield Hospital”

Yvonne, Patrick’s partner.

Patrick was in bed when his heart stopped early one Friday morning. His partner, Yvonne, took swift action to save his life.

Yvonne immediately started CPR and called 999. The air ambulance landed in a farmer’s field nearby. Paramedics shocked Patrick 17 times, twice his heart started briefly but it took over 50 minutes before they were able to achieve a sustainable heartbeat. Once Patrick was stabilised he was loaded onto the helicopter and flown to Glenfield Hospital.

Having a downtime of 50 minutes didn’t bode well, Patrick was gravely ill. Yvonne was warned the lack of oxygen for so long rarely had a great outcome – Patrick was in danger of organ failure and significant brain injury.

Fourteen days later Patrick woke up and started talking. He had a long road to recovery ahead of him and had to start relearning his life again. Nearly two months later Patrick was discharged from hospital.

Earlier this year Patrick proposed to his partner Yvonne, who helped save his life. The pair plan to marry this summer.