A young girl who was fighting for her life after collapsing in her own home now wants to give back to those who saved her.
Erin Garstang, 7, stopped breathing when she collapsed at her home in Lancashire back in August 2020 and her mother Clair immediately performed CPR and alerted the emergency services.
North West Air Ambulance and North West Ambulance Service rushed to the scene to save Erin's life and she was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital where she was stabilised in a coma.
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The youngster was then transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
Throughout months-long treatment at Alder Hey, doctors battled to diagnose the cause of Erin’s initial collapse and she was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) - a device similar to a pacemaker.
In October, the seven-year-old was diagnosed with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) - a genetic condition characterised by an abnormal heart rhythm, which parents Clair and Rob are now being tested for.
During their time at Alder Hey, Erin's parents were unable to join her on a ward due to the pandemic and so camped out in the car park until they were able to see their daughter again, making the difficult decision to stay away from daughter's Jess and Lucy so they could continue to visit Erin.
Mum Clair said: "It’s difficult to explain the panic that I felt when Erin collapsed. I just knew that something was wrong straight away and jumped into action to try to help her.
"Even when the first responder arrived, it wasn’t clear what was happening, but the relief of hearing the air ambulance and the way they reassured us that everything would be okay, is something I’ll never forget.
"Without them, I’m not sure she would have made the recovery she did. They saved her life.
"Being apart from her sisters was hard for Erin, especially as they’re usually joined at the hip, but they were able to keep in touch with plenty of video calls.
"Once she was finally able to leave the ward, she was doing cartwheels on the grass outside the hospital. On the Monday after her ICD was fitted, her sisters were back at school after the summer holidays and by Thursday, Erin had joined them.
"Her recovery has been miraculous."
Since Erin’s collapse, the family has been busy fundraising to say thank you to the charity that saved her life.
The young girl cut off and donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust, raising money for the North West Air Ambulance Charity in the process.
These funds were matched by Beaverbrooks, who Rob works for, coming to £3,000 with plans to raise more. Beaverbrooks has also since donated a defibrillator to Erin’s school.
The Air Ambulance Charity relies solely on charitable donations and does not receive any monetary support from the Government or NHS.
Mark Etherington, Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) critical care paramedic, who attended Erin's initial collapse, said: "Working alongside our colleagues at North West Ambulance Service, we were able to provide Erin with life-saving treatment at the scene.
"Every second in a situation like Erin’s counts, so following the quick actions of her mum in administering CPR, receiving this treatment gave Erin a fighting chance.
"We think Erin is a star and we are really grateful for raising such a huge amount of money to help us provide vital treatment to others."
More information on the North West Air Ambulance Charity can be found online by clicking here.
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