Emotional reunion for Peterborough girl and paramedic who helped save her life

The bubbly child from Hampton was just six when she fell down a staircase and banged her head on the floor in what has been described as a “freak accident”.

It took the brilliant work of health professionals and an operation lasting more than three hours to stop her from dying after she suffered a blood clot on her brain and a fractured skull.

But thankfully Lois was able to survive and is now back in school, albeit with two metal plates in her head, and she has recovered so well that she was able to meet up with senior emergency medical technician Steve Wainwright for an emotional reunion.

While the episode 12 months ago left Steve in tears and agonising over the little girl’s life, on Monday Lois appeared not to have a care in the world as she lapped up the experience on an ambulance.

Mum Shannon Graham, who helped organise for Lois to meet Steve, said: “He let Lois look around the ambulance and sit in the front and see all the equipment. She tried on Steve’s hat and coat.

“She loved it - it had a huge impact.”

The events of last year remain very raw in Shannon’s mind, and she had nothing but huge praise for Steve and the rest of the East of England Ambulance Service team who made such crucial interventions: emergency medical technician Michelle Tilley, paramedic Curtis Dorbon and student paramedic Carrie Curtis.

“It’s a mother’s worst nightmare,” said Shannon, who recalled receiving a call telling her that her daughter had suffered a bad fall. “The operation still feels like yesterday.

“She had to have a three-and-a-half-hour operation because of a large blood clot on her brain. We were told it was touch and go if she would make it then she was in intensive care.

“And a year on she is back in school and doing amazing. She has been so brave.”

In a personal thanks to the ambulance team, she added: “If they had not acted so quickly it may have been a completely different story. I can never thank them enough.”

Recalling the events of 12 months ago, Steve admitted there was a “very good chance” Lois may not have survived without immediate treatment.

He said: “Once we got to the scene we could see it was serious. Lois was very pale, vomiting and very drowsy. One of her pupils did not match the other.

“She had head injuries and I said to the crew ‘we have to go right now - it’s bad’. We got her oxygen and rushed to Peterborough City Hospital.

“We phoned ahead and told them it was bad and be ready. PCH as ever were right on the job.

“I’ve done this job nine years and only on two occasions has it broken me. I was crying buckets. I spoke to her grandad and said ‘it’s not protocol, but can you let me how she is’.”

Lois was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge the same day for her surgery, and it was the next day that Steve heard the good news that it had been a success.

“I broke down in the car - I was absolutely buzzing,” he said.

Having kept in touch with the family, Steve was more than happy to see Lois in person again and give her an experience to savour.

“When we met there was a big hug, there was a lot of emotion. We got Lois on an ambulance and showed her around.

“It was one of the times in your professional career where you wanted to see how things had worked out for the best. It was one of the highlights of my career.

“Lois was absolutely buzzing. She was bouncing all over the ambulance! She’s a bright and bubbly child.”