A WOMAN whose life was saved by paramedics from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance after being hit by a car close to her Hampshire home has started volunteering for the charity.
Steph Blake sustained a severe head injury and was critically ill after the collision as she was crossing the road in Totton in 2018.
Steph, who was 20 at the time, urgently needed specialist critical care intervention. The team flew to Steph and were by her side within eight minutes of the first 999 call. They put a cannula in Steph’s arm, gave her medicine to calm her down, sedated her and put her onto a ventilator, all before flying her to hospital for further treatment and surgery.
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Steph continues on her road to recovery and has started volunteering for the life-saving charity.
She said: "I am still alive because of the remarkable team that flew to me. I couldn’t be more thankful to them for giving me a second chance at life. Their skills, strength and abilities still amaze me. Every time I see the helicopter fly overhead, tears build up in my eyes.
"I love volunteering for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance as this has given me an opportunity to thank the service for still being here today."
It comes as Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance has completed 12,000 flights with a call to a patient who required emergency critical care following a road traffic collision in Basingstoke last month.
Since its first take off on 1 July 2007, the charity has responded to more than 17,500 emergency missions across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and surrounding areas by air and road. These included cardiac arrests, falls from height and assaults.
Advancements in the service means that today the doctors and paramedics on board can carry out procedures that are usually only found in a hospital setting all at the side of the road, in someone’s kitchen, a busy shopping centre or a rural area.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance CEO Richard Corbett said reaching 12,000 flights was a remarkable achievement.
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