"Without them, I might not be here today."

A Southampton mum has recalled the moment air ambulance medics landed in Hoglands Park and performed an emergency procedure on her when she was seriously ill. 

34-year-old mum of two Lianne Forbes has shared her story in support of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance's £3.6 million fundraising appeal to convert its new site near Southampton Airport into a purpose-built airbase, revealed by the Daily Echo earlier this week. 

(Image: HIOWAA)

READ MORE: The two little miracles born to a mum told she'd never have children

Lianne, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 16, was in a critical condition one Saturday night in December 2023. Her seizure wasn’t stopping, her medication wasn't working and she needed specialist interventions from the air ambulance crew. 

The doctor and specialist paramedic team landed in Hoglands Park and gave Lianne strong medication to help stop the seizure.  

But, as they loaded her into the ambulance, Lianne had another seizure, her fourth in 40 minutes.  

They performed a Pre-Hospital Emergency Anaesthetic – an intervention that can only be delivered by a helicopter emergency medical services crew.  

With the use of anaesthetic drugs and ventilation equipment, they carefully placed a breathing tube into her airway, to manage her ventilation and help protect vital organs.

Nine months on, Lianne is full of admiration for the service that was there for her when she needed it most.  

(Image: Family collection)

"I never knew things like that could be done away from the hospital,” Lianne said. “I was like, ‘They did what to me in the back of an ambulance?’ 

“But when they told me how serious it was, and that they had to intubate me, it showed me how drastically wrong it can go. 

“But they stopped it from getting much worse. They clearly knew exactly what to do in those high-pressure moments. 

“I thought they were just there for people in road traffic collisions – I never knew they could be called out for something like a seizure. But, without them, I might not be here today.   You never know when you might need them."

The move to Southampton will mean crews can reach almost every patient in the region within 10 minutes of take-off – in contrast to the current time of 20 minutes or more.

Visit hiowaa.org/appeal to donate.

(Image: HIOWAA)