Pediatric Air Ambulance Service

We are delighted to share the following report, covering the results of our ongoing Paediatric Flight programme, across the last twelve months.  

“I’ll never forget the call I made to Lia’s Wings. As soon as I spoke to them, it was like a rock being lifted off my back and at last I had a little bit of hope that something was going to help me”

-          Joe, Fatima’s Dad.

Over the last year, Lia’s Wings has continued to provide support for critically-ill children, providing hope and support when no-one else can. We remain the only UK air ambulance charity which uses fixed wing aircrafts, allowing us to provide life-savings aeromedical transfers for babies and children across the UK and internationally.

In the last year, we have supported 47 children and their families.

We have had 29 overseas cases – a 38% increase than last year and we have flown children home from Australia, Spain, Greece, France, Italy and Thailand.

With no funding for air transfers, we play a crucial role in the NHS transport infrastructure, providing practical support and hope to parents who often have no one else to turn to.

We have also continued to see increasingly complex cases coming to us, and we are also proud that we have not yet had to turn down a flight based on the severity of a child's condition, or injury. We continue to be able to provide life-changing, and life-saving care for every child that needs it, no matter their circumstances. 

One of the many children that we have supported this year is Freya.

Freya’s Story

When their four-week-old daughter, Freya, became seriously ill while visiting family in Lithuania, Nicu and Daivutte faced every parent’s worst nightmare. Far from home and without clear answers, they struggled through repeated hospital admissions, language barriers, and overwhelming fear. Freya was admitted three times in just a few weeks with severe infections and sepsis. “We were getting very scared because she wasn’t in a very good condition.” says Nicu.

While Nicu travelled between the UK and Lithuania, trying to work and visit the hospital, Daivutte stayed by Freya’s side. “For me, the hardest part is when she would wake up and smile at me, and I needed to take her to the procedure room, and I knew she was going to start crying, and when I left her and closed the door, I could hear her screaming.”

Feeling helpless, Nicu searched online for a way to bring Freya home. “I was actually really desperate to get her back to the UK… I didn’t know how to get her out of the hospital either, because we didn’t know how long she was going to be there or how long she would be sick. That’s when I started checking on Google, Facebook, everywhere, all kinds of possibilities to try to get her back to the UK. That's when I found Lia's Wings.”

From the first call, Lia’s Wings offered calm, compassionate guidance. “I felt like going to somebody to speak about the problems we’ve got as a family… It wasn’t just about getting Freya home, but also about the way we had been feeling. Getting the positive feedback that you could help us meant a lot. You helped us when we really needed it.”

Lia’s Wings arranged a medical escort flight with a flight doctor accompanying the family. “The medical team was great… We felt very relieved because we knew that if something happened, somebody there would be capable of helping us… It was something that we needed, if it wasn’t health-wise, then emotionally, we definitely needed that, because we would have been scared to fly back with her on our own.”

Back in the UK, we helped the family reintegrate into the NHS, where their daughter could finally access expert medical care. The family once again had the comfort of familiar hospitals, language, and support systems. “It is difficult… but at the same time, we feel safe because we are at home and in our own environment.”

Paediatric specialists diagnosed her with a genetic condition and developed a long-term treatment plan. Nicu and Daivutte were so relieved to finally understand why their daughter had been so frequently unwell. At last, their questions had answers.

They are now receiving guidance and support on how to manage her condition, and have been referred to a centre of excellence for further treatment and care. Her parents are actively involved in her physiotherapy and developmental support. Nicu explains, “We’re taking her to private physiotherapy now… We just try to do everything we can to help her grow up as a normal child .”

Despite the challenges, joy has returned. Nicu says: “One thing that Freya likes a lot is going out. She's always very happy when she's going out of the house. She loves trees, she loves being out, you know… She's the happiest kid in the world.”

Looking back, Nicu and Daivutte describe Lia’s Wings’ support as life-changing. “We felt supported throughout, even after we came back. It was important for us to feel supported because that helps us build confidence and try to be good parents.”

Nicu adds, “We never expected even for a minute to get any help. We’ve never been in this situation and never heard of anyone being in this kind of situation. You had no obligation towards us, and you just helped us without even knowing us. Everything was brilliant from start to the end.”

Freya is just one of many brave children that we have supported this year. Her story demonstrates the vital role that Lia’s Wings plays when a crisis occurs.

In each of these instances, and with every call for help we receive, Lia's Wings continues to be the only option for children, and families in urgent need. We are so grateful for the support we have received, and as we enter the new year, the number of children we will be required to fly looks set to grow again.

On behalf of the Lia's Wings Team, and all the beneficiaries we have supported this year, thank you for your support.

Links:

• Read Reign's story here
• Read Olivia-Grace's story here
• Read our full 2024-25 Impact Report here