A Northumberland family has been reunited with members of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) team who played a crucial role in helping deliver their son safely during a medical emergency several years ago.
Claire Lee, 43, from Bellingham, was expecting her son Reuben when she went into labour in April 2019, leading to an urgent transfer that brought her into the care she needed.
Complications quickly became apparent when it was discovered that the baby was breech, meaning he was positioned feet first instead of head first, which is a relatively rare occurrence and places both baby and mum at a slightly higher risk.
Mrs Lee was facing an hour transfer to hospital by road, so the critical care team from GNAAS flew to her aid.
GNAAS paramedic Tim West said:
“The call came in to the ambulance service saying the patient’s waters had broken and that the baby was presenting in an unusual way.
“In light of this, and the distance and time it would take her to get to hospital, given her rural location, we decided to activate.
“Compared to most of our jobs, this one didn’t turn out to be too clinically involved, thankfully. But the speed of the aircraft and the support of the team meant Claire and Reuben were able to get to hospital quickly and smoothly in just over ten minutes.”
Mrs Lee was flown to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, and Reuben was later born safely.
Nearly seven years later, Mrs Lee, her husband Ric, and sons Jacob and Reuben, visited GNAAS’ base near Eaglescliffe, where they met some of the charity’s critical care team and were able to see the helicopter involved in their rescue.
Mrs Lee said:
“Visiting the base, meeting the ground-based team and then the aircrew was a privilege and a pleasure. I was looking forward to attending to be able to say thank you properly.
“When it came to physically getting back in the specific helicopter that attended us, I was overcome with emotion I wasn’t expecting. I recalled the fear and vulnerability of Reuben’s birthday, which then morphed into relief and gratitude for the care I received. It was cathartic.”
During the visit, the family learned more about the charity’s operations and met the wider team behind the service.
“Whilst talking I had to remind myself that both ground staff and aircrew are regular people who have chosen to spend their time and energy doing something incredible,” Mrs Lee added.
“They are supported to do that by many many unsung heroes fundraising in our region.”
Inspired by her experience, Mrs Lee has since raised money for GNAAS by taking part in the Great North Swim in both 2022 and 2023, helping to support the charity’s life-saving work.
She said:
“GNAAS might one day be attending you, a loved one, a friend, a colleague or a neighbour and every second you’re waiting will feel like a million. In an emergency the speed of response matters for saving lives, medical outcomes and reducing mental trauma. We need to support GNAAS to ensure they can continue making a difference that may just prevent a medical emergency turning into a family’s worst day or even someone’s last day.”
Now aged seven, Reuben is described by his mum as “funny, caring, adventurous and so laid back he could be horizontal at times.”
When he’s not at school, he’ll often be out on his bike or the trampoline before back inside snuggled up with his mother reading and is currently enjoying a lot of Beano magazines.
Mrs Lee, who has since become a firefighter, said:
“As a patient I couldn’t be more grateful for the care and help afforded to me to bring Reuben safely into the world.
“As a fellow responder on scene now, I always breathe a sigh of relief when I hear GNAAS approaching because I know they will bring a calm competence to the situation.”
Earlier this year, the charity launched ‘Written in the Sky’, giving the general public the chance to have their name or the name of someone special to them displayed on one of their new helicopters. To find out more visit our website: https://gna.as/written2026
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