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IT was the hat-trick that the Wilson family never wanted — or you could say third time unlucky!
Within three years, a pair of twins and their father all suffered serious emergencies independently of each other which required urgent medical attention.
That help was provided by local life-saving charities the Penrith-based BEEP Doctors and the Great North Air Ambulance Service, stationed at Langwathby, to which the family are donating £1,000 this month as a generous thank you.
First up was Mark Wilson, aged 40, of Culgaith, who in February, 2018, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at home.
BEEP doctor Theo Weston was one of the first on the scene. Mark was given CPR, including from his wife Sarah, and placed in a medically-induced coma.
Rushed to Carlisle’s Cumberland Infirmary in an ambulance accompanied by Theo, his life hung in the balance.
Now fit and well again, Mark told the Herald: “I can’t remember anything after that as I was in a coma. My memory has gone but physically I am fine and healthy.” Twin brother Paul added: “If it wasn’t for Theo, Mark wouldn’t be here.”
Ten months later, it was sadly Paul’s turn to need help. He was involved in an accident three days before Christmas in December, 2018.
Paul, also 40, a wagon driver, of Hackthorpe, was cutting down a tree at Newbiggin when it fell on him. This time it was the Great North air ambulance to the rescue. Then, just over a year later, their dad, John Wilson, now aged 82, fell off a ladder at home in Great Strickland while putting a felt roof on a shed.
The fall split his head open and broke two vertebrae in his back. Paramedic Vinny Romano, of the BEEP Doctors, went to his aid.
John ended up spending a week in hospital at Newcastle, before convalescing in “brilliant” Penrith hospital. While he is now recovered, John still suffers some pain following the accident and conceded: “I shouldn’t have been up the ladder.”
“But it’s because of what they do that we have sponsored them because they have done such a marvellous job for us as a family.”
Wife Ida told the Herald: “Without these two local charities we would have been devastated really — the two lads in 10 months and then John as well.”
The family turned out to personally thank Mr Weston and hand over a £500 cheque for BEEP.
On 28th January, the same amount will go to the Great North Air Ambulance Service.
The proceeds follow a double 40th birthday party for the twins last June which was held at Great Strickland village hall and attended by 120 people, who gave donations.
Dr Weston is chairman of the voluntary BEEP doctors’ charity which is called out at the request of the ambulance service to serious incidents, and which he helped set-up 30 years ago.
He told the Herald: “To be honest, I don’t think I have ever known a situation where three members of the same family
all independently of each other have required the services. It is quite amazing. I had no idea until chatting to Mark and Paul that the family had had such a string of things happen to them — all very serious things and involving the BEEP car or the air ambulance, which I am also passionate about.
Dr Weston added: “The reward for me is seeing these people get better than they otherwise would have been, had we not been there — we are so totally grateful to them all for raising this fantastic amount of money because without it we cannot function.”
