A North East father and daughter are raisings funds for the air ambulance by taking part in the Great North Run in memory of a beloved mam and wife who sadly aged 43.
"Bubbly"Caroline Hewison was found unconscious at her home in Burnopfield on 30 April 2017.
Her husband Christopher Hewison rang the emergency services and the North East Ambulance Service arrived on scene, shortly followed by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).
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He said: “It was all a bit of a blur. The neighbour looked after the little one, Jen, and I tried to do CPR before the ambulance came, and GNAAS turned up very quickly afterwards.”
Caroline was airlifted to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle but despite the best efforts of everyone involved, she sadly died that day.
Chris continued: “Jen had just turned five so I told her that GNAAS had given her mam a lift up to heaven.
“Caroline had suffered mental health issues which Jen was aware of, and in 2018 she begged me to do the Mini Great North Run with her, and I also did the Great North Run to raise money for Mind, which was ‘mam’s charity’.
“It was a very emotional day, and now five years have passed since Caroline died, so to mark the anniversary Jen had the idea to raise some money again for mam and do it for GNAAS."
Jen and Chris will be doing the Junior Great North Run together, with Chris taking part solo in the main Great North Run the following day.
Reflecting on the life of his wife, Chris said: “Caroline was a very bubbly character, who was very into her sports. Everyone knew her as the life and soul of the party, and she always put her foot in her mouth saying something funny. She constantly went above and beyond for people and would either volunteer herself or volunteer me to do something, like dress up at kid’s parties.
"Very few people knew that she was struggling with her mental health.”
The father and daughter team have already raised £460 for GNAAS in Caroline’s memory and recently visited the charity’s base and met paramedic Jamie Walsh who came to the aid of Caroline.
Chris added: “I think GNAAS is incredible. You could tell the people who were on the helicopter were very skilled and by having this service it gave her a chance. I think it’s vital that GNAAS is supported.”
GNAAS have charity places available for the Great North Run, which require runners to raise a minimum of £300.
For those interested you can sign up here.
To support Christopher and Jen’s fundraising visit their official Just Giving page here.
Are you taking part in the Great North Run this year?
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