Family meet ambulance crew which saved baby's life

The family of a baby whose life was left hanging in the balance after falling ill on holiday has met the air ambulance crew which saved her.

Rachel Hall’s 16-month- old baby, Scarlett, started struggling to breathe while they were at a cottage in Bamburgh, Northumberland in July.

When paramedics arrived, they realised the severity of the situation and called for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) which had a doctor on-board.

GNAAS doctor, Rachel Hawes, and paramedic Terry Sharpe, found she was critically ill and was in ‘peri-arrest’, the recognised period just before someone suffers a full cardiac arrest.

The GNAAS team carried out an advanced operation called intraosseous infusion, drilling holes into the youngster’s legs to inject medication directly into the marrow of the bone.

After treatment, Scarlett was flown to the Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary in a critical condition.

The youngster was kept in intensive care for three days and spent a further five days on a ward. She was diagnosed with diabetes.

Now, five weeks after the incident, Mrs Hall and her children, Scarlett and Aiden, and their father, John Hall, has met the air ambulance crew at their base in Langwathby, Cumbria.

Mrs Hall added that Scarlett, who is now 17-months old, is back to her normal happy self.

GNAAS is a charity which relies entirely on the generosity of the public to survive. They need to raise £4.5m every year to stay operational. For more click here