Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance are the reason I'm still here today. They are a much needed Emergency service but sadly rely on donations alone as their not funded by the government  

It's all too easy to think we're never need their service but the truth is our life could depend on it at any time. We must keep this amazing service running so please donate as little or as much as you can.

I'm facing one of my biggest fears doing this, heights, but after learning how to live with one arm I'm thinking this 'should' be a piece of cake  : )

Thank you 

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance began operations on 1st July 2007. The Helicopter is based at Thruxton Airfield near Andover and our Head Office is at 4 King’s Park Road, Southampton. Every day the Air Ambulance crew provide an efficient, prompt response to road traffic collisions, sporting accidents, collapses, and many other incidents throughout Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The Helicopter is called out many times per day, and these missions are often life saving.

The Air Ambulance costs in excess of £125,000 per month to maintain the service – approximately £4,166 per day.

Below is my story:

I have been a foster carer for four years, and during this time I've looked after fifteen children working for Orange Grove fostercare. 

I'm a single Mum who is very close to my son Ethan, it was for him that I needed to keep fighting after my accident.

November 14th 2014 started like any other morning. I got Ethan, my seven year old boy, ready for a fancy dress day at school.  The theme of the fancy dress day was ‘Real Life Heroes’, and as Ethan has undergone many operations himself,  he decided that he wanted to dress up as a surgeon – all surgeons are heroes in his eyes. I never thought I would be needing my own hero before the day was out.

I had just set off for a meeting, having got all the children to school.  I was driving down the M3 at 60mph.  It was raining heavily and there were strong winds.

I remember thinking to myself that I was going to stop at the next services, but before I could stop, I saw a deep puddle ahead. At that moment, I remembered something that my Father always said to me – ‘don’t break when hitting a puddle’. It was too late to change lanes without putting other cars at risk too.

I’ll not forget the moment my car went into that puddle. My heart sank, I just knew that I was in trouble. The car started to spin and all I could do was put my right arm on the roof as a way of trying to hold myself in.

My car aquaplaned and soon after it flipped over, again and again. I later found out that my car span six times up onto an embankment and back down again.

I remember everything going slowly. It’s amazing what goes through your mind in what’s actually a very short space of time. I thought about my little boy, the fact that he doesn’t have a Daddy and now he might lose his Mummy too. I begged the car to stop and then I felt a really sharp pain to my head, and everything went blank.

The next thing I remember was waking up, trying to look around but realising I couldn’t move. I could see smashed windows, blood everywhere and what felt like cold air coming from the side of me. I felt no pain at all. A lady came to my car; she’d stopped and run to my car to help. A training vet called Gemma, she began to ask me questions to keep me awake.

I told her I had children, I asked her if I was going to die, again it went blank.

I’ve since spoken to Gemma and she told me that I was speaking to her but that I would start speaking and then begin to fit. She called 999 and help arrived.

Four Fire engines arrived, one of which had new cutting equipment in order to get people out faster and they started the process of getting me out of the car. The Air Ambulance arrived and worked along side the fire brigade to get me out safely.

My arm was bleeding badly.  It later emerged that my arm had smashed through the window and that my car had rolled on top of it.

The crew on the Air ambulance did an amazing job and without them I wouldn’t be here today. I have little memory of being airlifted to hospital in the Air Ambulance, I remember the arm of my jacket being cut but I don’t remember too much after that.

I was in Southampton General for four days as I was too poorly to be transferred to Salisbury hospital, where I needed to be.  Unfortunately, they weren’t able to operate on me at Southampton, as only four of their seven plastic surgeons were available.

I spent two weeks in a coma and was moved to Salisbury on the fourth day. I underwent 38 hours of surgery on my right arm. I had very bad septicaemia and the surgeon spent a long time in theatre flushing out my arm and giving me blood transfusions.

My son did not see me for two weeks. We’re never apart and so this must have been very difficult for him. My parents were at their home in Bulgaria at the time of my accident so had to fly over to be with him.

My parents came to the hospital and they said nothing could prepare them for what they saw. I was very swollen and bruised. I had cuts to my face and a large metal brace screwed into my skull as I had broken 6 bones in my neck and 4 in my spine. I had lots of swelling to my head.

They asked if I’d walk again or have damage to my brain but the surgeons said it was too early to tell and that their priority was to keep me alive.

Doctors told my parents that they were doing all they could but that they had to take things one day at a time, as I was very poorly. The surgeons tried to rebuild what was left of my arm. They took tissue and skin from my stomach, veins from my legs and put a metal pole in to replace of the missing bone from my elbow to my wrist.

On the fourteenth day my parents were asked to come to the hospital. When they arrived they met with my plastic surgeon who informed them that my septicaemia had spread so badly that if they didn’t amputate my arm, I’d only have 36 hours left to live. My parents asked if there was anything else that could be done, as I’m a single working parent and I’m also right handed.  They were told that this was the last resort, in order to save my life. My parents signed the permission form and walked behind my bed to theatre.

My right arm was amputated just above the elbow. They weren’t able to remove all the septicaemia so I had to stay on strong antibiotics for the next few months.

Waking up with a large heavy metal brace screwed into my skull, I was told of my injuries. I cried and said sorry to my Dad for the worry I had caused them. I still couldn’t move my legs, but the coming few weeks would be the test.

The next day I saw my beautiful son for the first time in two weeks. More importantly he saw his Mum.   It was a very emotional moment. He jumped up on the bed and kissed me. My parents had been honest with him from the start and I feel that was the right thing to do. He coped amazingly and told me “Mummy everything will be ok”. He’s my rock and without him I would never have had the strength to carry on.

The next few weeks were so tough. Learning to walk again and trying to remain positive about my future. I don’t think I’ll ever fully get over this but I will move on from it for my son’s sake.

Christmas, although different, was very special. My family never imagined I’d be here, so we were all very grateful. I did the best I could for Ethan and promised that next year would be better, but told me that it was good the way it was.

2015 will be a road of recovery, but I’ve already done better than expected, so I know I will get through this. I had the metal brace on for over seven weeks and them a body and neck brace on for six weeks. I then went into a neck brace for a two months..  My parents have been amazing.  They have had to move in with me until I’m strong enough to get on my own feet again.  This has affected us all in different ways, and we keep each other strong in order to get through it.

I’m due to see a team about a prosthetic arm in the future, but I need to have more surgery in around four months on what’s left of my right arm.

Like most of us, I had plans for my future.  My plans haven’t changed, but it may just take me longer to get there. I want more than anything to return to work fostering, and I will have to learn to adjust to living with one arm.

The most important thing is I still have a future and my son still has his Mum.

I cannot thank the Air Ambulance team enough for the wonderful work they did that day. I would never have made it by road ambulance, and the service they provide is vital for us all.   Without them, I wouldn’t’ be here, and my son wouldn’t have his Mum, his only parent.

My family and friends donated to the Air ambulance instead of sending Christmas cards this year. I know that many people’s donations helped to save my life and for that I am truly grateful.

With special Thanks to:

The Air ambulance team

My brave and inspirational son Ethan

With thanks also to the many people in Andover who have supported me.

Many thanks to all