WHY WE DO IT
Emma’s story...
On 23 September 2011, Emma Gale, a mother of very young twin boys, suffered a serious asthma attack that left her fighting for her life. We flew her into Dorset County Hospital where she was given a 30 percent chance of survival. Emma, who thankfully is now fully recovered, believes the outcome may have been very different without the speedy service of the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance...
I
had been feeling unwell with flu for about ten days. I was hoping that it would go away and was trying to stay strong because of the twins.
However, on Thursday 22 September I started feeling a lot worse. I suffer with asthma and was finding that I had to use my nebuliser every 30 minutes or so. I made an appointment to see the doctor the following day. My best friend Christine came over on that morning to
drive me to the doctors, as she was worried that if she did not take me, I would not have gone. While driving there, I began to feel even worse but did not want to worry her. As I went in to see the doctor I felt extremely dizzy. The doctor got me on the bed and put me on an oxygen nebuliser. She then called an ambulance, which arrived within a few minutes. While inside the ambulance, the paramedics tried
to find a vein to administer the drugs I needed, but unfortunately they were unable to find one, so they gave me intra-muscular injections instead. This, together with regular oxygen nebulisers, did not
seem to be making any difference and I started struggling to breathe. It was then that I realised time was critical
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and the ambulance started heading to Beaminster Primary School instead to meet the air ambulance. All I could think about was my two twin boys and the
fact that I might not see them again. I don’t remember too much about the flight, only that
the crew on board continued the process of trying to get air to my lungs and kept talking to me. The flight to Dorset County Hospital took five minutes, but it felt like half an hour. When I arrived, I was put on a CPAP machine (a device
to push oxygen into your lungs). My husband was told that I only had a 30 per cent chance of survival. This would have been less if we had not reached hospital so quickly. I was sent to ICU and, over the next few days, more drugs were administered, which helped my breathing improve. In total, I spent 12 days in hospital, which was extremely hard for me. I had never been away from the boys before and although they were being looked after by my mother in law, sister in law and husband, I missed them so much. I am so grateful to the air ambulance and the ambulance service, because I believe they saved my life. If it had not been for them and their judgement, I might not be here today, feeling much better, with my gorgeous boys and wonderful husband. I have always thought that the air ambulance do a
great job, but it’s not until you really need them that you realise how truly amazing they are and what an incredible service they offer. I will never be able to repay them for what they did, but I hope to be able to get involved with some fundraising soon, as I know they need every penny that people can spare.
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