Family visits air ambulance crew who helped deliver son

Nearly seven years after the life-saving mission, the Lee family from Bellingham visited the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) base near Eaglescliffe to personally thank the crew who helped transport mum Claire Lee to the hospital when she went into labour with her youngest son, Reuben.

Claire, 43, experienced complications during labour in April 2019 when it was discovered that Reuben was in a breech position.

Due to her rural location, GNAAS quickly deployed its critical care team and transported her to the hospital by air.

Claire and Reuben (Image: Supplied)

"The call came in to the ambulance service saying the patient’s waters had broken and that the baby was presenting in an unusual way," said Tim West, the GNAAS paramedic who responded to the call.

"In light of this, and the distance and time it would take her to get to the hospital, given her rural location, we decided to activate.

"Compared to most of our jobs, this one didn’t turn out to be too clinically involved, thankfully.

"But the speed of the aircraft and the support of the team meant Claire and Reuben were able to get to the hospital quickly and smoothly in just over ten minutes."

Miles the bear and GNAAS' critical care team with Jacob, Reuben, Claire and Ric (Image: Supplied)

Claire was flown to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital in Cramlington, and Reuben was later born safely.

Earlier this year, Claire, her husband Ric, and sons Jacob and Reuben visited the GNAAS base to meet members of the critical care crew and see the helicopter that helped them.

"Visiting the base, meeting the ground-based team and then the aircrew was a privilege and a pleasure," said Claire.

Jacob and Reuben (Image: Supplied)

"I was looking forward to attending to be able to say thank you properly.

"When it came to physically getting back in the specific helicopter that attended us, I was overcome with emotion I wasn't expecting.

"I recalled the fear and vulnerability of Reuben’s birthday, which then morphed into relief and gratitude for the care I received. It was cathartic."

During the visit, the family learned about how the charity operates and met members of the wider GNAAS team.

Miles the bear with Jacob, Claire Reuben and Ric (Image: Supplied)

Inspired by her experience, Claire, who has since become a firefighter, raised funds for the service by taking part in the Great North Swim in both 2022 and 2023.

She said, "We need to support GNAAS to ensure they can continue making a difference that may just prevent a medical emergency from turning into a family's worst day or even someone's last day."