A SERIOUSLY ill young woman who suffers from a rare lung condition will thank the air ambulance crew who saved her life with a cash gift.
Rachael Wakefield will donate £2,000 to Wales Air Ambulance to the after a crew rushed her to hospital while on holiday on Anglesey.
Rachael Wakefield was staying with her aunt in Amlwch when her condition deteriorated suddenly and the air ambulance crew rushed her Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.
“They couldn’t have done more to for me. It took six minutes to get to hospital in Bangor, but an ambulance would have taken about 15 minutes and every second counts,” she said.
The 21-year-old from Manchester spent two weeks in intensive care following the incident two years ago.
Rachael has interstitial lung disease (ILD), which leaves her dependent on breathing equipment and has two years to live if a donor cannot be found.
Rachael’s aunt Karen Davies raised around £10,000 in 2008 for her to undergo a lung transplant in America, but last month Rachael was added to the NHS transplant list.
Only half of people waiting for lungs live long enough to receive their transplant.
“The transplant could be in the next few hours, or the next year or it might never come,” she said.
“My friends have jobs, but I’ve never worked as I can’t go out on my own so a transplant would make things normal for me.”
The rest of the money will be shared between the hospice in Manchester where Rachael is staying, Wythenshawe Hospital’s transplant program, the Willow Adult Make a Wish Foundation and organ donation campaigners Live Life Then Give Life.
Rachael said she is extremely grateful to the people of Anglesey for their support.
“I go to Anglesey quite often but I’m amazed at how much support there was,” she said.