Mum thanks Royal Navy for saving her son's life 18 years ago
Kate Gardner was just 28 weeks into her pregnancy when she was airlifted to Royal Cornwall Hospital by an RNAS Culdrose helicopter
A mum has thanked the Royal Navy for saving the life of her son 18 years ago.
In 2005, Kate Gardner was living on the Isles of Scilly when she rushed to hospital just 28 weeks into her pregnancy.
She was airlifted by an RNAS Culdrose helicopter to the Royal Cornwall Hospital where her son was born the following day.
Ms Gardner said the swift intervention of the navy undoubtedly saved the life of Jack, who recently celebrated his 18th birthday:
"His birthday just brought it all home to me. Jack is now a healthy six-foot-one amazing young man so I just wanted to thank you for getting me to the hospital so he could be cared for properly when he was born."
Ms Gardner, who now lives near Exeter, said her bump wasn’t even noticeably showing when, one wintry night 18 years ago, she felt pain and realised her contractions had begun.
Once at St Mary’s Hospital, medical staff decided it was safer to have her airlifted directly to the mainland and the coastguard alerted RNAS Culdrose to send a helicopter.
"I can remember I was laying on a mat on the floor of the helicopter," she added. "The midwife came with us. They crew were really lovely and kind."
She said Jack was born the following day at just 2 lb 12 oz, and was incubated for a week.
Ms Gardner added: "The navy also flew us off St Mary’s again a few months later when Jack developed breathing problems overnight. Once again you got us safely to Treliske Hospital before he was transferred to Bristol for surgery to reconstruct his trachea.
"Without your help, I very much doubt my son would be alive today. ‘Thank you’ just doesn’t seem enough."
A spokesman for RNAS Culdrose said: "We were delighted when Ms Gardner got in touch with us to share her memories of that fateful night – and delighted too to wish Jack a happy 18th birthday.
"Although the Royal Navy’s 771 Naval Air Squadron was disbanded in 2016 and our focus is now fully on defending the UK, we remain rightly proud of the squadron’s achievements which touched so many lives. Many of the personnel from the squadron remain working here at Culdrose. Some are now civilians while others remain in the navy and serve on frontline operations with the Merlin Helicopter Force."