THE presence of an air ambulance service to respond to an urgent health problem for an 80-year-old Cappoquin man ultimately saved his life, his son has claimed.
Blake Massey, from Cappoquin, suffered two strokes and a seizure and would not have survived the road journey from the West Waterford town to Cork University Hospital, according to his son Richard.
Speaking to Damien Tiernan on Deise Today, Richard said the Massey family would always be grateful to the 'Irish Communities Rapid Response' service who airlifted their dad to hospital after the major health incident over the October Bank Holiday weekend.
The family had rang 999 when Blake took ill and first responders and also (road) ambulances had been tasked to the house.
On arrival at the Massey home, they made the call for the air ambulance from ICRR to be alerted and the helicopter duly arrived and landed in a nearby field.
It then made the journey to CUH in 11 mins, a trip that would normally take about one hour by road.
Blake Massey is still recovering from the episode but is making progress and his medical team are hopeful he will be home in time for Christmas.
On the show this morning, Richard Massey paid tribute to the "fantastic service" that is provided by the ICRR...all from donations, fundraising and contributions from the public.
Meanwhile, John Kearney, CEO and founder of the ICRR, also spoke to Damien about the work they do.
To listen back to Richard and John Kearney speaking to Damien this morning, please click below...
Meanwhile, you can listen back to the full show from this morning, by clicking below here...
