SCAA patient turns fundraiser to support SCAA Week
Edinburgh mother Fiona Thomas is donating a percentage of takings at her specialist textile printing company during SCAA Week to support the charity that came to her aid after a fall on a freezing hillside.
Fiona's thoughts as she made her way down the Braid Hills at Edinburgh were of the bacon rolls she would collect on her way home from her early Saturday morning dog walk.
Seconds later, she was lying in agony after slipping on the show-covered icy slopes and snapping her ankle.
"I was screaming for help - and in pain - and my Golden Retriever Oscar was barking but no one heard us," recalled Fiona.
"I could see a man further up the hill but couldn't catch his attention. I kept screaming 'help, help, help' and getting more and more upset."
Fiona then called her husband Richard for help and her screams eventually attracted three runners on the hill who rushed to her aid as she lay on the frozen ground.
"It was January 2nd and I has wearing heavy warm clothing but the cold was starting to get to me," she said. "One of the runners was a GP and she stayed with me while the others went to get blankets and meet the ambulance at the foot of the hill. Richard and my son Lewis then arrived with more blankets and everyone tried to keep me warm.
"I remember being in excruciating pain - it was agony."
The inaccessibility of the accident scene prompted a call to Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) who scrambled their Perth-based Helimed 76 to Fiona's aid.
"The roads were icy and the hill was difficult to access for the road ambulance but SCAA was able to land right next to me."
SCAA paramedics were able to administer pain relief and heat pads to warm her as they assessed her injuries.
"They were fantastic," said a grateful Fiona. "So professional and so kind. I panicked that I was using up emergency resources during Covid and putting pressure on the system but they were calming and reassuring.
"It was wonderful to finally get relief from the terrible pain and I don't remember much about the flight to Edinburgh Royal. I remember seeing the beautiful blue sky through the window and thinking how wonderful it looked."
Doctors at the hospital confirmed an unstable fracture with a break on the outside of Fiona's ankle and ripped and torn ligaments on the inside. She had to have a metal plate and screws inserted in the joint.
"I'll be forever grateful to SCAA for what they did for me that day," she said. "We've since signed up to the charity's Lottery and I'm happy to support them through my business during SCAA Week.
"I know that my support will help someone else in great need - just as I was. What on earth would have happened to me that day if they hadn't been there? I couldn't move and I couldn't have lain out in the snow and ice much longer.
"SCAA is a vital service - it's a lifeline for everyone in Scotland. Accidents happen and you never think it will be you - but you just never know."
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Fiona took this selfie just minutes before her accident.