NHS forever grateful to SAS following care for mum before she passed away

An NHS staff member said she she’ll be forever grateful to the Scottish Ambulance Service staff who attended to her mum before she passed away.

Lyndsay McLaughlin, PA to NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Director of Allied Health Professions, has fundraised £2810 for SAS, The Organ Donation Committee and the Brain Tumour Charity in memory of her mum, Mary.

SAS staff members Natalie Hill (Technician, Ayr), and Ally Nicol (Paramedic, Ayr ) attended to Mary in 2021. Despite their best efforts, Mary died a few days later in ICU.

Lyndsay said: “She had a bleed in the brain and her heart stopped. The team worked on her for 30 minutes and got her heart started again. She never gained consciousness again but having that time helped us to say goodbye and also meant that we could donate her organs. Her kidney was successfully transplanted to a young woman. I will be forever grateful for that time we were gifted.”

Mary was given the Order of St John award for her kidney donation.

This year would have been Mary’s 65th birthday, so Lyndsay decided as a tribute to hold exercise classes where 65 music tracks were played back-to-back. Over 60 people took part, each paying an attendance fee to be donated to SAS and charity. A bake sale was also held within Lyndsay’s work where the money raised was donated to the Organ Donation Committee.

She added: “The tracks were split between three classes and it took just under four hours to complete. I also raised £2150 for Brain Tumour charity from sponsorship for me doing the classes.

Lyndsay recently visited Ayr station along with her dad and brother to drop off a hamper with the some of the money raised. £400 was also donated to the endowment fund for ambulance staff wellbeing.

She said: “I wanted to do something to show how much they are appreciated as I suspect with SAS being an emergency service, staff are often overlooked when it comes to people thanking them.”