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Behind the Scenes: East Anglian Air Ambulance

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Velvet Glove
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Behind the Scenes: East Anglian Air Ambulance

Post by Velvet Glove » Thu Oct 23, 2014 4:41 pm

Column: Jilly Hurley, PR manager at East Anglian Air Ambulance, talks to Dr Ed Gold about what’s been going on behind the scenes

By Cambridge News | Posted: October 21, 2014

On February 18, 20-year-old Boffie Brown was driving to the stables where she works.

It was a journey she had made countless times before. And as she set out on that bright, clear day, there was nothing to suggest her drive on the A1307 that morning might be any different. Until, suddenly, her car was hit by another vehicle – and catapulted off the road.

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Eight months on – after a broken pelvis, two broken vertebrae, extensive damage to her kidneys and a bleed on the brain – Boffie is back. Back on her horse, and back to meet and thank the people who made that possible.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance was swiftly to the scene of the accident that day; Captain Graham Wayman landed in a nearby field. Dr Ed Gold and critical care paramedic Jemma Varela attended, and though Boffie herself has no memory of the day, they both remember the event vividly.

“When we arrived, Boffie was still trapped in her car and bleeding heavily,” Ed recalls: “Her injuries were potentially life-threatening, and time was against us.”

Boffie’s mother, Susan, had independently made it to the scene, and so witnessed Ed and Jemma’s efforts. She is enormously grateful to them both, not only for the medical help they offered Boffie, but also for keeping her – as the mother of the patient – calm during such an anxious time.

“Seeing the crash site up close was like a scene from a movie; it was absolutely horrific,” remembers Susan. “But Dr Gold told me exactly what I needed to hear; that Boffie was alive, and that although her injuries were very serious, that he thought she would pull through.”

Looking at Boffie today, it’s hard to believe that she suffered such serious injuries a matter of months ago. Her positive outcome is a testimony to the speed and expertise of the EAAA. Though Jemma emphasises that Boffie must take credit too, for her courage and determination in rehabilitation.

“It is a privilege to help ease the suffering and aid the recovery of the patients we visit,” Jemma comments. “But it is a pleasure to see them again, when they are on the mend, and come to visit us this time.”

Boffie is now turning her characteristic determination, her sheer tenacity that saw her through rehabilitation, into organising a riding event to raise money for the EAAA: “I feel very lucky indeed to have been cared for by such an amazing team,” she says. “I very much want to show my gratitude by helping support the charity.”

For more information about Boffie’s Fundraising Event on October 25, visit http://www.swdrc.co.uk.

Source: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Column- ... story.html
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