Newcastle > London
300 miles
At four years old Skye was admitted to the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. She was seriously ill due to problems with her stomach and intestines. Skye’s consultants did everything they could to diagnose her symptoms but unfortunately, after 21 months in hospital, Skye’s family still had no answers.
Skye’s consultants came to the conclusion that the only way that she could return to some version of normal life, would be to receive an ileostomy. However, this specialist surgery could only be performed by a small number of surgeons in the UK and Skye would need to travel to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to receive the surgery.
A road ambulance transfer from Newcastle to London is over 300 miles and would have taken over six hours, putting Skye at serious risk. The safest way for Skye to travel to Great Ormond Street Hospital was by aeroplane.
Lucy Air Ambulance for Children was the only charity that could fly Skye from Newcastle to London for the surgery. Our aeroplanes provided a safe, infection-free environment for her to travel in as well as a quick option to get her where she needed to be for the ileostomy.
As a direct result of this surgery, Skye was discharged home for the first time in over 23 months. She made it home just four weeks before Christmas – the first Christmas that she was able to spend at home with her family in over two years!
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
