Liz Mantle

Yes, I’d seen the East Anglia Air Ambulance helicopter flying over my Thetford home on many occasions and briefly wondered who, what, where, but it was only when I needed urgent care that I could fully appreciate how lucky we are and what a fantastic service is provided by such a dedicated team.

I have lived with an irregular heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation, for 14 years and just kept popping the pills and happily getting on with my life until early one morning in March this year when something was definitely amiss. My heart was beating very fast, I was feeling very dizzy and finding it hard to breathe if I moved. A 999 call brought two fantastic paramedics who quickly did an assessment and decided medical backup was essential.

Thanks to many years of yoga practice, I managed to stay very calm even though I thought I might die. I remember looking up at the trees and sky and thinking, “Well, it’s been really lovely living here surrounded by nature…” I felt very grateful.

I was sitting wired to an ECG machine when I saw a helicopter in the sky flying over my home and realised that it was coming for me! When the land ambulance team said they were calling for some back up, I didn’t realise it would be an air ambulance. I recall asking where it was going to land as I didn’t want the crew to have to walk too far with all their kit bags. It landed not far away and a doctor and two critical care paramedics with all their equipment came to my rescue. While they were taking care of me, my husband packed a hospital bag and reassured my grandson, who was with us, that Nanny was going to be ok.

Fortunately, after the East Anglian Air Ambulance crew gave me an intravenous injection things calmed down considerably. My heart rate didn’t go back to normal, but it stopped the fast beat. The decision was made to transfer me by air to West Suffolk Hospital. I later learned that I could have had a cardiac arrest if I hadn’t been treated so promptly, efficiently and with such amazing care.

When I was in the back of the helicopter, Dr Bruce Liu from the air ambulance team, took a photo of me on my phone. I had a big grin on my face – it was the relief that I was safe and in such good hands. Once we’d landed at the West Suffolk Hospital and I was being lifted out of the helicopter, someone – possibly Dr Bruce – said, “You’ve got a welcome committee!” I saw a group of nursery children behind the fence wearing their hi-vis jackets and waving like mad. So naturally I waved back and felt like a VIP!

East Anglian Air Ambulance is an invaluable service that sometimes we take for granted, but as a charity it needs funding. Even after the emergency itself, I was in contact with the charity’s Aftercare team and it was lovely to ‘offload’ onto somebody who understood.

My rescue cost over £4,000, and much more is now needed as Cambridge Airport is closing, resulting in the need for them to relocate and build a vital new base. It’s so important to support them because it’s something we all need to think about before we need their help. Rest assured I’ll be holding the collection buckets at every available opportunity.