A grateful mother whose ‘world was turned upside down’ is running the Newport Half Marathon as a thank you to the medics that came to her son’s aid.
Nearly 2 years ago, Amber Morrison experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when her the six-year-old son had a 20-minute seizure at home.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and once her son, Luan, came out of his seizure, he was unable to speak. Due to his condition the Wales Air Ambulance was dispatched to the Luan’s aid and landed in the local park.
Amber, a mum-of-two from Newport, said: “Not being able to hear your once healthy boy be able to say the word ‘mum’ was enough to shatter my heart into a thousand pieces.
“From the moment the Wales Air Ambulance arrived; the doctor on board took amazing care of our son and made decisions as to what hospital he needed to go to get the correct care for him.”
Prior to the seizures Amber’s son had no previous medical conditions, and once he arrived at hospital, he continued to have seizures for weeks.
Amber, 33, added: “We were unable to get to the bottom of the cause of Luan’s seizures. He is now thriving and is now seizure free but the quick response from Wales Air Ambulance truly made such a difference to all our lives.
“Whilst in hospital, Wales Air Ambulance were doing fundraising at the front of the hospital, after talking to them I learned that the Wales Air Ambulance do not receive any funding and are completely reliant on donations. Since this day we donate to the Charity every month because the work they do truly is lifesaving.
“Wales Air Ambulance was there for us as a family at the scariest time of our life!”
Amber with her husband and sonsAs a thank you Amber will be running the Newport Half Marathon in aid of the all-Wales Charity. The half marathon will take place on 19 April and Amber has already smashed her £250 fundraising target by raising £285.
In preparation for the half marathon Amber has been training at least twice a week and the longest run she has completed to date is 18k.
Amber, an ALN Teaching Assistant, said ‘training is going brilliant’, she added: “I have never been a runner! I was the type of girl to forge a note for P.E in high school to get out of it! I started running back in June last year to help with my mental health.
“After the traumatic incident with my son in April I also lost my mum, just 2 months later, and I really hit rock bottom. I’ve had to really push myself to keep going but once I ran 5k comfortably I really wanted to challenge myself. I knew running for Wales Air Ambulance would keep me motivated and I know it would make my mum very proud!”
The Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.
It is delivered via a unique third sector and public sector partnership. The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
This advanced critical care includes the ability to administer anaesthesia, deliver blood transfusions and conduct minor operations, all at the scene of an incident.
As a pan-Wales service, its dedicated crews, regardless of where they are based, will travel the length and breadth of the country to deliver emergency critical care.
Amanda Rosenberg, Wales Air Ambulance’s Regional Fundraising Manager for Wales said: “We are so grateful to Amber for choosing to support our lifesaving service by running the Newport Half Marathon.
“Amber knows firsthand how important the Wales Air Ambulance is to the people of Wales. We are humbled that after Luan needed the Wales Air Ambulance Amber wanted to support us.
“Amber has come from a non-running background, and it is obvious she has put her heart and soul into training.
“It costs the Wales Air Ambulance £13 million every year to keep our helicopters in the air and our rapid response vehicles on the road. Without fundraisers, like Amber’s, we wouldn’t be able to provide our lifesaving service to the people of Wales. Thank you to everyone who has already donated to Amber’s fundraiser, you will all play a part in saving lives across the country.
“We wish Amber the best of luck with her challenge.”
There’s still time to show your support to Amber by donating to her fundraising page
https://newportwalesmarathon26.enthuse.com/pf/amber-morrison
