A lady who retired to the Isle of Wight but had to cut her dream move short when an emergency cardiac condition arose out of the blue, has praised Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance ahead of a busy Christmas period. Sue Allen, who was 59 at the time, and her husband Rob, 63, had always wanted to live by the sea. So, in 2013, the couple set sail for the Isle of Wight to enjoy their retirement. But their lives were flipped upside down when, on a sunny afternoon in June 2019, Sue began feeling unwell. Sue explains:
“We were having the time of our lives – living the dream, you could say. I started passing out – I was even passing out in my sleep”.
Concerned for his wife, Rob called for an ambulance. The paramedics immediately knew Sue had severe heart block and needed urgent care. Sue was blue-lighted by road to St Mary’s Hospital, but it quickly became clear that she needed to be taken to the cardiac unit at Queen Alexandra’s Hospital, Portsmouth. The 59-year-old was stabilised and loaded onto the air ambulance and readied for the flight across the Solent. Sue takes up the story:
“When they took me up to the Helipad, I had to keep my eyes closed because of how high up we were. In the helicopter, the paramedic put headphones on me so she could talk to me during the flight. As I was so scared she held my hand, which was just wonderful.”
Sue had an emergency surgical procedure to insert a pacemaker which undoubtedly saved her life. After her life-threatening medical emergencies, the couple moved to Fleet be closer to family, friends and nearer to major hospitals. Sue loves Christmas and is looking forward to spending time with her family of twin sons, daughters-in-law and twin grandchildren, plus step-children and extended family. Ahead of this special time of the year, Sue has said:
“The Air Ambulance crew were like my knights in shining armour. They just made me feel completely safe. Without them, who knows if I would have been here today? “Even though Rob has played the monthly Air Ambulance Lottery for many, many years, I was shocked to find out Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is a charity and as such is not government funded. I am eternally grateful for the service that was there when I most needed it.”
People wanting to support the charity can make a monthly donation at www.hiowaa.org/donate.
