Archives: Patients

North Yorkshire man and father of three, Mike Hudson swapped his bike pedals for walking poles to thank the Yorkshire Air Ambulance a year after an accident that changed his life. Mike, a surveyor with the National Grid in Leeds, an experienced cyclist and time triallist suffered a spinal crush injury after crashing into the back of a van less than a mile from his Harrogate home, in the Yorkshire Dales.

“I don’t really remember anything about the accident, but understand I basically head butted the back of the van which crushed my spinal cord, I came around about 10 or 15 minutes later and was surrounded by medics, police and my family. I was just laid on the ground and couldn’t move, which was pretty scary, and when I heard the air ambulance land I knew I’d done some serious damage.”
Mike was airlifted within minutes to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary for emergency treatment.

Although he recovered well from his injuries, Mike was left with muscle weakness. “I know I’ve been very lucky, I was only doing about 10mph and I was also able to get the medical attention I needed very quickly thanks to the air ambulance. It could have been a lot worse.”

Karen Brooke suffered serious brain injuries after a freak fall. Karen was leading her horse, who startled at her fall and kicked out hitting Karen in the side of the head causing life-changing injuries.
Following her accident, Karen was airlifted in minutes by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance to specialists at Leeds General Infirmary. The 51 year old suffered two skull fractures and severe bruising and bleeding on the brain.

“I was lucky to survive,” said Karen. “I had only a slight pulse when Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed and I don’t think I would have made it without them. They saved my life.”

Karen was in a coma for two months and initially suffered personality changes as well as paralysis down her right side. She was transferred to Dewsbury Hospital where she spent a further four months in rehabilitation learning how to walk, talk, read and write again.

Carolyn Bjelan from Harrogate, North Yorkshire used CPR to save her husband’s life just a month after completing first aid training.

Carolyn is now calling for all schools and workplaces to teach life-saving skills to improve the chances of people surviving a cardiac arrest outside hospital.

Carolyn had to use her life-saving skills when husband Jovan suddenly collapsed at their Harrogate home while doing some DIY.

“I was upstairs and heard a loud thud and when I found him I thought he must have fallen off the ladder.”
“When I realised he wasn’t breathing there were a few seconds when I panicked and thought I can’t do this, but then the training kicked in and I knew I had to act quickly.

“I started CPR and rang for the ambulance putting them on speaker phone. I knew time was so important as the longer the brain is starved of oxygen the greater the chance of brain injury.”