Plymouth > Leeds
320 miles
Amy and her husband, who were expecting their first child, were coming to the end of a week-long stay in Plymouth. The couple were just about to set off on the 300 mile journey back home to Leeds when Amy started to experience some signs of labour. It quickly became very clear that her baby was going to be born early. The couple dropped everything and rushed to hospital. A spontaneous placenta abruption caused the baby’s heart rate to drop rapidly so their son had to be born via emergency C-section. Charlie was born 9 weeks early. Amy says:
“Charlie arrived in a poor condition. Within 20 minutes of birth he received a blood transfusion and was on ventilation and oxygen. I was under general anesthetic due to the immediate risk and therefore wasn’t aware of the situation but my husband was. You can imagine what a scary time this was for my husband with both his wife and child in theatre, and unable to be there in the theatre himself.”
In the days after his birth, the main focus for everyone was improving Charlie’s stability. The couple faced up to a three month stay in Plymouth Hospital which was over 300 miles from their home in Leeds. Amy says:
“It was hard being so far away from family with the exception of my husband’s brother and girlfriend who we had been visiting. However, the staff in Plymouth were brilliant and did everything they could to make us feel at home and that we weren’t alone in that situation.”
After a week of close monitoring, the staff at Plymouth Hospital suggested that Charlie was stable enough to go home but the only way he could travel the long distance home was by aeroplane. A six-hour road journey would cause too much distress for Charlie and a helicopter would not be safe in the current weather conditions that were being caused by Storm Gareth. The NICU team at Plymouth contacted Lucy Air Ambulance for Children (Lucy AAC) to transfer Charlie from Plymouth Hospital to St James’s University Hospital. The couple were so relieved to find out they were going home!
“The thought of going home was something for us to focus on. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) team at Plymouth Hospital were amazing but it was such a relief to be going home to be closer to family.”
After just nine days of being cared for in the NICU at Plymouth Hospital, Lucy AAC flew Charlie and Amy back home to Leeds.
“I was fortunate that I could fly with Charlie. It was a big relief for me as I appreciate that there are no guaranteed space on board the plane and the thought of having to drive seven hours without my baby boy filled me with dread.”
Amy and Charlie were greeted at St James’s University Hospital by Amy’s husband James and her parents. She recalls:
“When we landed I had a sudden realisation that we still had a long road ahead with Charlie but it was such a relief to be back home with our friends and family. The transfer meant so much to us! Charlie did amazing on the flight considering he was literally just over a week old and he seemed to take well to his new temporary home.”
Amy, James and their extended family have continued to fundraise for Lucy AAC through various community events, corporate sponsorship, a golf club captaincy. We cannot thank the Barrett/Edmondson family enough for their support of our charity and passion to help another family like theirs.
Latest news & events
Our time for growth
Over the next few weeks and months, you will see our charity’s brand evolve from ‘Lucy Air Ambulance for Children’ to ‘Lia’s Wings’. We are going into the next chapter of our charity’s evolution with a new identity and expanded purpose. … Read More
Lia’s Legacy
Over the next few weeks and months, you will see Lucy Air Ambulance for Children’s brand change to celebrate an incredibly special little girl, Emilia Schoennagel, whom the world sadly lost unexpectedly in September 2022. … Read More
Lucy AAC Summer Skydive
‘Take the leap for Lucy! Join us on Tue 18th July at Hinton-in-the-Hedges Airfield in Northamptonshire and experience the thrill of jumping 10,000ft at 120mph by taking part in a tandem skydive for Lucy AAC. … Read More
At Home Winter Wonderwheels 2023
Grab your mask, cape & winter warmers, Superheroes – we’re racing Pole to Pole! For this virtual Winter Explorer mission, you’ll be remotely uniting with your SUPER TEAM to race 25,123km from north to south, taking in some super snowy destinations along the way! … Read More
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Get ready for an epic, virtual round-the-world race! You can join the fun wherever & however you wish & have a whole month in which to complete your super goal. Best of all, you’ll be remotely combining your powers with hundreds of fellow Superheroes & Sidekicks, from far & wide, all pulling together for this super-flexible mission! So sign up now, your SUPER TEAM needs you! … Read More
Superhero Tri 2023
Superhero Tri is a super fun sporting mission for people with disability – aka Superheroes. These superheroes call the shots – there are no cut-off times and all kinds of ‘gadgets and gismos’ are welcome on the course, from floats and boats to powerchairs, adaptive bikes, trikes and more. … Read More
