RICHARD and Lydia Watts suffered every parent’s worst nightmare when they were told to ‘prepare for the worst’ after their son Ioan suffered a freak accident. But thanks to the Wales Air Ambulance, Ioan is here to celebrate with his loved ones this Christmas.
In October 2022, the Watts family were celebrating their son Rhodri’s birthday when it became a birthday to remember for all the wrong reasons.
Rhodri’s older brother, Ioan, was playing on his scooter in the garden shed, but the fun soon stopped when he slid across the concrete and fell 8ft over a ledge headfirst, leaving him fighting for his life.
Due to the nature of Ioan’s injuries, the Wales Air Ambulance dispatched two critical care teams – one by air and one by road. Upon arrival, it was immediately clear to the team that Ioan was extremely poorly; he was unconscious, having a seizure and he’d started vomiting which meant his airway was blocked.
Jez James, one of the medics on board Wales Air Ambulance that day, said: “As part of our role, we are faced with awful situations every day, but I have a son a similar age and this mission has stuck with me. Ioan was an incredibly poorly young boy, one of the sickest I’ve come across.”
The critical care team cleared his airway and gave him some medication to stop the seizure. They also delivered a pre-hospital anaesthetic and placed him on a ventilator, helping to protect his brain.
These treatments would usually only be available within a hospital setting, but thanks to the unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership between the Wales Air Ambulance and Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service, Ioan received these procedures in his back garden before being transferred to the University Hospital of Wales, Neurosurgical and Paediatric Trauma Centre.
Lydia and Richard were told to expect the worst, and neither the Wales Air Ambulance crew or his family knew if Ioan would ever wake up or recover.
Jez continued: “My colleagues and I did all that we could for Ioan, delivering advanced critical care to him in his garden. We knew that we were going to give him the best possible chance of survival but with how poorly he was, we weren’t sure what the outcome would be.”
Ioan spent three weeks in intensive care in a coma and underwent a craniotomy, where part of his skull was removed. Whilst in a critical condition, Ioan’s dad spoke to a vicar; something he remembers like it was yesterday.
Against the odds, Ioan slowly began to show signs of improvement and was slowly taken off the ventilator.
Ioan’s grateful mum Lydia said: “After 3 weeks in a coma, and emergency brain surgery, Ioan began his slow recovery, learning to walk, talk and do almost everything he could do before his accident. He worked so hard and after 3 months in hospital, he came home to continue his recovery.
Inspirational Ioan, said: “I don’t remember my accident, but my family were told to prepare for the worst. I spent three months in hospital and underwent more surgery to put the part of my skull back into place.
“I didn’t like the hospital food very much, only the jelly, but I was lucky that I was able to go home for one day during my recovery, it was Christmas Day.”
Ever since, Christmas has been extra special for the Watts family.
Lydia continued: “Ioan has just started high school and without the amazing air ambulance crew, he wouldn’t be here for all these firsts, and we wouldn’t have him here with us this Christmas. Thank you will never be enough for saving our little boy.”
Since his accident, Ioan has thrived and has gone on to fundraise for the charity that saved his life. He has also been reunited with some of the medics who attended him, and his sense of humour had the team in fits of laughter.
Critical Care Practitioner, Tom Archer, said: “Ioan is a very young, energetic, and checky intelligent chap. Seeing him like that is fairly unexpected, as he was a very, very unwell child post-accident. It’s incredible to see the recovery he has made.”
Matt Jones, who also attended Ioan, said: “Meeting Ioan and seeing the recovery he has made is fantastic, it brought a smile to my face to be able to see how loud and enthusiastic he is. It was heartwarming to be able to meet him and his family – they’ve all been through a lot.”
Lydia continued: “We will never forget Jez, Tom, Matt and the others, who saved Ioan’s life, and I hope they know how incredibly grateful we are. It’s very difficult to find the words to express that.”
With the support of the Watts family, the lifesaving Charity has launched its Christmas Fundraising Appeal, Ioan’s Merry Mission.
Ioan said: “Since my accident, I’ve raised money for my heroes, by climbing Pen y Fan with Jez and running a 2k, because without them, I wouldn’t be here.
“Most children will ask for toys this Christmas but it’s my ‘merry mission’ to make sure that more lives can be saved this Christmas. Please help me to achieve my mission and donate to this lifesaving charity. You never know when you or your family might need them. Thank you.”
The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £11.2 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
The service is delivered via a unique Third Sector and Public Sector partnership. The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the Charity’s vehicles.
If you like to donate to Ioan’s Merry Mission Christmas appeal, and help save more lives across Wales, you can donate by visiting Wales Air Ambulance’s Ioan’s Merry Mission webpage.
