East Anglian air ambulance marks 25 years of providing critical care to patients in need
This month marks 25 years since the founding of the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA), which provides critical care to patients in their hours of need.
The service was founded in 2000, and registered with the Charity Commission in September of that year.
The first flights took place in early 2001, and since then more than 27,000 people have been treated by the EAAA.
Crews from the service’s bases in Norwich and Cambridge now treat six people per day on average.
Among the cases the service treats are critical care emergencies such as cardiac arrests, road traffic collisions and medical emergencies.
Among the individuals the service has helped during its 25-year history were Pepe Casanova and his mum Ana in 2014.
Pepe was five months old and became lethargic and started vomiting, and a couple of days after receiving advice from an out-of-hours doctor his condition started to deteriorate overnight.
“I looked down at Pepe - he was a funny colour, and his eyes weren’t focusing,” Ana recalled.
“We called 999 and we were asked to count Pepe’s breaths, which were very fast. Then everything happened very quickly.”
The EAAA were sent to the family home alongside a first responder and two ambulances.
“The critical care crew from East Anglian Air Ambulance took charge,” Ana said.
“One of the tests they carried out was on Pepe’s blood. I saw the clinicians look at each other - it felt significant.”
Pepe had undiagnosed type one diabetes and had slipped into a diabetic coma, with crews inserting a needle into his shinbone.
This delivered fluids into his bone marrow which stabilised his condition before he was transferred by land ambulance to hospital in Norwich.
"This was just the beginning of our journey as it was a long road to recovery,” Ana said. "We didn’t know at this point whether Pepe would be brain damaged or have suffered organ failure.
"Thanks in part to the help of EAAA, he recovered and is alive, well and is an amazing child - he is loving, empathetic and I am so proud of him.
"His greatest achievement is how well he deals with his diabetes every day.”
Chief executive of the EAAA Matthew Jones said: “Behind every statistic is a real person, a real family - a life changed, or a life saved because of the kindness of others.
“Ana and Pepe’s story is just one of thousands that reflect the extraordinary impact our crews have made over the past 25 years.
“Every day, we see how generous donations translate into urgent care for people in our communities who are facing trauma or medical emergencies.
“Because of that selfless support, patients like Pepe receive the right help at the right time giving them the best possible chance of survival and recovery.
“Our 25-year milestone is a moment to pause, reflect and give heartfelt thanks to the remarkable people who make our 24/7 life-saving work, by air and road, possible.
“Your continued support will help us reach even more people in the years to come.”
The EAAA, which covers Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk is a charity that receives no regular Government funding, and relies almost entirely on public support.
You can find out how you can donate to the EAAA through their website.