£27.50 could pay for a blizzard blanket to help keep our patients warm and protect them from the elements this winter.
Teacher Kathy had been wrapping up the year at her school before Christmas while busy preparing for the birth of her first child. However, nothing could prepare her for what would happen as she left her house that day.
Driving to school a week before her maternity leave, the poor road conditions and black ice led to a collision between Kathy’s car and another vehicle.
The local land ambulance attended Kathy as quickly as possible and assessed her injuries. They quickly identified her broken shoulder but were concerned what the impact of the collision could have had on her unborn child. There were still five weeks to go before her due date, but they needed to assess her urgently to check on the baby’s health. There was a major concern that the impact of the crash may have damaged the placenta which could mean the baby was in danger.
Due to the icy conditions, driving Kathy via land ambulance to the nearest hospital was too risky. Thankfully, this was the moment that your local air ambulance could offer urgent help. It only took a few minutes to fly her to Coventry Hospital, but every second counts in an emergency like this. As soon as she arrived at the hospital, doctors performed a scan to assess her baby and the placenta. Kathy and her husband Stuart did not expect their baby to arrive so soon. Still, the doctors decided the safest course of action was to perform an emergency caesarean section under general anaesthetic.
Only hours after that fateful journey, baby Ben was born. He weighed 5lb 3oz and most importantly was completely healthy!
As a precaution, Ben was taken into the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) and a few days later, mother and baby were transferred to their local hospital in Warwick. After two weeks, Kathy and Ben could go home and enjoy their first Christmas together as a family.
