THE family of a local man who died after being stung by a wasp have raised £1,000 for the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance.
Eamonn Hogan from Kilcoo, was driving his youngest daughter, Alexandra, home from school on June 13 last year when he was stung.
Unbeknown to him, Eamonn had a severe allergy which caused him to go into anaphylactic shock.
He pulled over as he knew something was wrong and got out of his van, but immediately collapsed.
Alexandra used her dad’s phone to call family members and the emergency services.
She was connected to Ambulance control who dispatched an emergency ambulance and the Air Ambulance.
By-standers performed CPR on Eamonn before the emergency services arrived.
Sadly, despite the best efforts of responders, Eamonn, who was formerly from Downpatrick, died in hospital two days later.
To mark the first anniversary of Eamonn’s death, members of his family recently visited the Air Ambulance to see the helicopter and meet one of the pilots.
Eamonn’s wife, Corrina said: “We lost Eamonn so suddenly, it’s been a very difficult year.
“We are grateful that Eamonn had every possible chance and that me and our four children had a little time at hospital to be with him to say goodbye.
“Eamonn didn’t know that he had a wasp/bee sting allergy. We would also like to encourage anyone who has a known allergy to carry your EpiPen as this can be the difference between life and death.”
The family presented the Air Ambulance charity with £1,000 raised in Eamonn’s memory.
Corrina said she would particularly like to thank her colleagues at the Department for Communities Make the Call service for raising much of the money.
She would also like to thank the bystanders who stopped to provide care and to all of the emergency services and staff in ICU for their compassion, dignity and vital care.
Kerry Anderson, Head of Fundraising for the Air Ambulance, said: “It was lovely to meet with the Hogan family and our heartfelt thoughts continue to be with them, wishing them strength in their grief.
“We are all humbled that they have been able to think of others, giving hope to a future patient and family who need the services of Air Ambulance. It is only with continued support that the charity is able to play its part in sustaining this service, with a fundraising need of almost £7,000 every day. We would like to thank everyone who contributed in Eamonn’s memory for their kindness.”
Air Ambulance NI, in partnership with NIAS, provides the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service for Northern Ireland.
The service brings urgent medical assistance to anywhere in the province, operating seven days a week for 12 hours per day. The HEMS team attend patients who are seriously ill or injured, bringing emergency pre-hospital care direct to the casualty with the aim of saving lives, brains and limbs.
The aircraft can reach anywhere in Northern Ireland in approximately 25 minutes. Around £2.5m needs to be raised via fundraising to keep the service operational.
Further information can be found by visiting www.airambulanceni.org alternatively you can contact the charity directly by emailing info@airambulanceni.org or calling 028 9262 2677.