London > Manchester
200 miles
‘The thought of leaving my children in London to move to Manchester was very hard for me and my husband. As a mother, all I could do was cry. We are very grateful for Lucy Air Ambulance For Children and everyone that donated to keep our family together.’– Sara, Edwin & Nathan’s Mum
Sara and her husband were in the middle of relocating from London to Manchester when their twins, Edwin and Nathan, were born extremely early at just 27 weeks (3 months early).
‘Unexpectedly at just 27 weeks pregnant my waters broke, and I had an emergency c-section because of the complications of having cord prolapse (when the umbilical cord slips through the birth canal). Thankfully, all was okay and I ended up giving birth to two gorgeous boys.’
Edwin and Nathan faced a long stay at the neonatal intensive care unit at University College London (UCL) Hospital having been born so early. Sara and her husband were so grateful that the boys could receive the specialist care they needed but it had put them in a very difficult situation. Sara and her husband had already made arrangements to move back to Manchester to be closer to family.
‘When we found out we were expecting twins we were overjoyed, and knew we had to move back to Manchester to be near family for support when required. When the boys arrived unexpectedly, we had already given notice to our landlord and sorted a moving date.’
The couple had nowhere to live in London whilst their twins had a long stay ahead of them at UCL Hospital. They would have to move to Manchester as planned and travel the 200-mile distance every time they needed to see the twins.
‘I cannot explain to you how hard and upsetting it would be to be so far from the twins, not to mention the fact that I am expressing, and they need my breast milk every day.’
Dealing with the great distance along with Covid travel restrictions would have been almost impossible for this family. They would have faced months of separation, anxiety and worry during what should be an incredibly positive and exciting time for a new family.
Lucy Air Ambulance for Children (Lucy AAC) were told about Sara’s family and this unprecedented situation they had found themselves in and wanted to help. Lucy AAC instantly made arrangements to transfer Edwin and Nathan from London to Manchester by aeroplane.
‘The hospital told us all about Lucy AAC and advised that they would be able to transport our boys safely and quickly by aeroplane to Manchester. The thought of leaving my children in London to move to Manchester was very hard for me and my husband. As a mother, all I could do was cry. When we heard that Lucy AAC was going to fly the twins to Manchester so that we could all be in the same place, I was so happy!’
Lucy AAC flew Edwin and Nathan on two separate flights due to the complex medical equipment that both babies needed during the transfer. Sara and her husband travelled back to Manchester by train and met the twins at the hospital. The twins are now settled in at the hospital in Manchester and Sara and her husband are getting their new home ready for when the boys are finally big and strong enough to go home. They are now only 9 minutes from the twins whilst they are in hospital and can visit them every day – all thanks to your donations.
‘We are very grateful for Lucy Air Ambulance for Children and everyone that donated to keep our family together. Words cannot express what this means for us. We are happy to have our twins in a Manchester hospital and getting better and bigger, all thanks to Lucy AAC.’
Latest News
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
At Home Superheroes 2023
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
