The daughter of a man who was the first to receive a pre-hospital blood transfusion in the North has completed a marathon to support the charity that saved his life.
Jill Dempster, 36, from Armadale, took on her first-ever marathon at Loch Rannoch, Scotland, in October, raising over £1,700 for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).
She chose to support GNAAS after her dad John McNeil required the help of the charity in January 2015.
John, who was aged 58 at the time, was involved in a serious road traffic incident on the A1 in Berwick when his work van collided with an oncoming lorry.
He sustained multiple severe fractures, including his collarbone, hip socket, both femurs, sternum, and vertebrae, as well as collapsed lungs, lacerations to his scalp and liver and a hematoma near his right kidney.
The critical care team from GNAAS, which included a doctor and paramedic, flew to the scene and put John into a medically-induced coma and gave him a blood transfusion.
This was the first time a blood transfusion had been given to a patient outside of a hospital setting in the North of England, after GNAAS began carrying red blood cells on board their aircraft in the same month.
Following treatment on scene, John was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and spent four weeks in ITU and HDU, undergoing several operations to save both his legs, before spending a further two months in the trauma ward.
He was then transferred to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to be nearer to family and friends and underwent another operation on his right leg.
Afterwards he spent around three months in St John’s Hospital for rehabilitation before finally being discharged and returning to his home in Armadale.
Speaking about her father’s recovery, Jill said:
“My Dad is well and living life to the full considering his trauma and severe injuries.
“His recovery was long and painful. He had to learn to walk again with many months of physiotherapy.”
To support the work of GNAAS, Jill decided to push herself out of her comfort zone and take part in her first marathon, which was the Loch Rannoch Marathon.
She said:
“The marathon was the most challenging thing I have ever done. It pushed me to a new limit. It was a very undulating course which made it even more difficult however knowing how much I raised and that it’s all for a good cause got me through.
“Completing the Loch Rannoch Marathon was very emotional and overwhelming. It was the most amazing feeling to have people there cheering you on. “
In total Jill raised £1,725 for GNAAS, which was more than double her initial fundraising target.
She said:
“It feels incredibly rewarding and fulfilling to raise that much money. The funds are going to such a meaningful cause ensuring people, like my dad, get the air ambulance support they need.
“If it hadn’t been for GNAAS medics going above and beyond on the day dad had his accident, he would have lost his life.
“We, as a family, are so grateful and because of this, my dad walked me down the aisle on my wedding day.”
GNAAS have launched an appeal called Operation SOS: Secure Our Service and need to raise £2.5 million to secure the deposit for a third new helicopter. Find out more on their website: gna.as/secure_our_service
The post GNAAS Helped Save Her Dad – Now Jill’s Giving Back with a 26.2-Mile Challenge appeared first on Newcastle Magazine – Your source for inspiring Newcastle news.
