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Approximately 20 months ago, very good friends of mine nearly lost their child to an accident which caused the brain to swell rapidly. Due to the injuries sustained, their child had to be transferred to the nearest paediatric Intensive Care Unit from the local accident and emergency, which although only a short distance away, had to be completed via minor roads, and in the case of this trauma, where early diagnosis and fast, intensive treatment saves lives and reduces the level of brain damage caused by the inflammation, time is always of the essence.

My friends' child was lucky, to a point, as they survived. All is not well, however, as due to the delays in getting them the specialist treatment they required, recovery has been exceptionally slow, even almost 2 years later, and by no means complete; whether they recover fully is still uncertain.

Consequently, I am supporting the Children's Air Ambulance (“CAA”), which were they available at the time that my friends' child suffered their trauma, could have saved valuable time and made the difference between a full and rapid recovery, and now, where the recovery has been slow and the outlook still so uncertain.

But the CAA’s resources are limited, and it is one of a kind.

It is the first and only dedicated helicopter emergency transfer service for seriously ill children and babies, flying them from one hospital to a more specialist unit, alongside their team of clinicians; a journey usually made by land.

The CAA transferred its first clinical team in December 2012, and performed its first patient transfer on 11 May 2013. Unbelievably, it's estimated that approximately 5,800 children need transferring between hospitals every single year. Currently the majority of these transfers are performed by land, meaning sometimes long and arduous journeys for seriously ill children.

The CAA is able to drastically cut the time it takes to carry out these types of transfers, which means sick children and babies can get lifesaving care as soon as possible - giving them the very best chances of survival and recovery.

The CAA receives no Government funding, relying instead entirely on public donations and support in the local community to raise the £134,000 (US$215,000) it needs to run its vital service.

Since the launch of the helicopter in 2012, the CAA has been extremely busy adapting its helicopter with pioneering facilities - this unique helicopter is like no other in the country. Its customisation has to be exactly right to transfer such vulnerable patients and their care teams.

Please give generously, as every penny counts, and who knows, it could be somebody you know whose life is saved by this excellent service.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.