Berwick family raise thousands for charity after both needing air ambulance

Graeme Jerdan and his wife Debra, from Berwick, held a fundraising thank you party for friends and family who supported them following Graeme’s sudden cardiac arrest.

The party took place just over a year after Graeme, 60, was airlifted to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital (NSECH) by the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).

Recalling the incident, Graeme said: “I was sitting at home having a conversation with my wife when I had a sudden cardiac arrest. Luckily for me, my wife has always been an advocate for teaching young people first aid and she knew immediately that I needed CPR. She worked on me until the paramedics took over.”

A team from the North East Ambulance Service managed to get Graeme’s heart beating again, and they arranged to meet GNAAS at Shielfield Park.

He said: “Whilst in the air ambulance I suffered a second cardiac arrest. My wife was told by my consultant to ring any family that would want to say goodbye.”

Graeme was put into a medically induced coma by GNAAS’ paramedic and doctor team and airlifted to NSECH in 20 minutes.

Much to the amazement of everyone, he managed to wake himself up the following morning and remained in hospital for nearly two weeks, where he was fitted with an internal defibrillator.

He said: “There was no cause identified for the sudden cardiac arrests; my heart was undamaged, bloods fine and arteries all clear.

“Ten weeks after my cardiac arrest I had a phased return to work at Royal Mail and was soon back to work full time.

“My recovery has amazed everyone, and I lead a full active life.

“Myself, my wife, and my family can never thank GNAAS enough for what they did for me that day. I never imagined I’d ever need their help, and I will be eternally grateful.

"Living in the north of the county GNAAS is an essential service. Without it, I wouldn’t be here to tell my story.”

They raised £1,500 for GNAAS.

One of the attendees was Graeme’s nephew-in-law Mark Hogg, 35, from Berwick, who also required the services of GNAAS when he was just a child.

Mark was only ten years old when he was cycling from school to his home in Belford and involved in a collision with a car.

Mark was taken to intensive care where they drilled into his skull to relieve pressure in his brain, and he also sustained a broken collarbone.

He has since lived a relatively normal life, working as a chef and having a family.

He said: “GNAAS is so important as it saves so many lives.

“In my case a 20-minute flight could have been the difference between life or death rather than a 45-60 minute drive down in an ambulance. My dad used it too in 2009 after falling off a roof at work, as well as my wife’s uncle Graeme after suffering a cardiac arrest.”

Following Graeme’s incident, Mark decided to buy a charity place for the Great North Run and he raised £900.

GNAAS have charity places available for the Great North Run, which require runners to raise a minimum of £300. Visit: gna.as/run2025