My name is Sophie, and I am alive today thanks to our local charity, Magpas Air Ambulance.
You never know when your life will need saving. Accidents are always unexpected. Thank goodness the incredible Magpas Air Ambulance doctors and paramedics could be there in time when my life was on the line.
My accident happened while I was driving less than a mile from my home near Ely. I had just popped out, leaving my husband at home with our baby. There had been a large fuel spill on a country road bend, and suddenly my car skidded out of control. It flipped onto its side and smashed into a tree. The roof crumpled, and I was trapped inside, with the dashboard crushing my legs. My head struck the driver’s side window and smashed it. My ears were full of broken glass.
I remember the sound of the car being cut open by fire and rescue so the Magpas Air Ambulance crew could reach me. I remember screaming and panicking. It was utterly terrifying, and even writing this now brings it back as if it were yesterday.
Despite the fear and trauma, I remember Sarah and Dan, the Magpas Air Ambulance doctor and paramedic. Their calm voices. Their hands holding mine. As Sarah wiped the tears from my face and placed an IV into my hand for pain relief, I remember Dan saying, “Sophie, let’s get you home to your baby. You are not giving up on us.”
With their extraordinary medical skills, Magpas Air Ambulance brought the hospital trauma unit to me, and that saved my life.
It took over two hours to cut me out of the car, and then just 11 minutes for the Magpas Air Ambulance to fly me to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, with my husband beside me. I later learned that I had broken my spine, including my neck, in seven places, and that I might never walk unaided again.
The specialist care Sarah and Dan gave me at the scene made all the difference. Not only can I walk today, but I can run and play with my children.
There was a time when I believed I might never walk again. Yet five years to the day after my accident, I ran the London Marathon to raise money for Magpas Air Ambulance. I will always be grateful for the support they gave me, and I will always support them financially, because I want to ensure that when someone else’s emergency happens, this incredible medical team will be there to save them too.
This year marks ten years since Magpas Air Ambulance saved my life. If they had not been there that day, I might never have walked down the aisle, seen my baby take his first steps, got married, or welcomed a second child. They did not just save my life; they gave me a future.
You might not be aware, but Magpas Air Ambulance doesn’t receive any regular government funding. Without donations from people like you, it simply wouldn’t exist. If you can, please support Magpas Air Ambulance today.
