'If you ever need the air ambulance, don't be afraid'

Nancy was just three years old when she reached for a flask that contained boiling water.

She was staying at a hotel in London with her parents, Steve and Donna, who rushed into the bathroom when they heard her screams.

While the couple rushed to use their knowledge as healthcare professionals to treat their daughter, the hotel phoned 999, which alerted London's Air Ambulance.

Donna said: "I'm 100% certain that if this happened where we live in Cumbria, I don't believe we would have got the response we got in London. Because we were there, Nancy got the best possible care in the most timely manner possible."

Warning: This story contains some distressing details

Nancy and her parents had gone to London for a routine hospital appointment, and they decided to stay for the weekend.

In the hotel room, Nancy had gone to brush her teeth in the bathroom.

"We were cleaning out a flask that had had milk in it," said Steve.

"So I had filled it with boiling water and put it out of the way on the back of the toilet in the bathroom."

Donna said: "We think Nancy must have thought it was cold water."

Nancy dropped the flask when she realised it was hot, and the water cascaded down across her arms and torso.

"What followed were the screams," recalled Donna.

Steve's instincts as a paramedic, and Donna's as a nurse immediately kicked in. They worked together to remove Nancy's clothes and to cool her down.

"Removing the clothes was traumatic in itself," said Donna.

"With the clothes, off came her skin too, her skin was just falling off her hands, arms, abdomen and torso. But we knew we needed to get them off and try and cool her the best we could," she said.

The couple said although they could cool the burns with cold water, they couldn't take Nancy's pain away.

While Steve and Donna helped their daughter as best they could, the hotel had called 999, and London's Air Ambulance had been dispatched, as well as the London Ambulance Service.

With their central London location making a helicopter landing difficult, the air ambulance service sent out a rapid response car which was able to deliver an advanced trauma team to the hotel.

"One of the most important interventions that our team can provide for a severely injured patient is the administration of strong painkillers to stop them suffering," said a spokesperson for London's Air Ambulance charity.

Nancy was given fentanyl, a powerful painkiller, through her nose.

Medics describe the treatment as "very easy to administer for children" and say it works incredibly quickly.

Steve remembers how effective it was: "It calmed the whole situation down and helped her be more comfortable for the treatment and for the transfer to hospital."

Nancy then spent 10 difficult days in isolation in hospital to avoid infection.

"It was a really hard time for her," her mum recalled.

"Nancy's wounds had to be inspected, cleaned and redressed, which was incredibly distressing and painful."

In the end, the wound dressing had to be done under general anaesthetic to manage the pain.

After the 10 days in hospital, the family returned home and were able to self-manage the cleaning of Nancy's wounds.

Luckily, over time, her parents said the wounds healed "impeccably" and said Nancy made "a fantastic recovery".

Two years later, and Nancy is now at school and thriving. She enjoys sports, crafts and is also learning how to ski.

She has told her parents that when she grows up she would like to be a children's nurse and help others like herself.

Nancy said of London's Air Ambulance: "It's not nice to have to need their help, but they helped me with my pain and they made me feel happier. So, if you ever need their help, don't worry and don't be afraid."

Donna said that ever since the incident the air ambulance service has continued to keep in touch with the family.

"It's such a thoughtful thing to do," she said.

"We aren't just a number to them, we mean something to them. On the anniversary of the incident the team get in touch and say they're thinking of us. We could never ever thank them enough."

London's Ambulance Service said that calls to their service, like this, are in demand now, more than ever.

In 2024, it treated a record-breaking 2,058 patients, with its advanced trauma team providing almost daily blood transfusions, and an average of one open chest surgery a week.

It said assaults, road-traffic collisions, and falls from height remained the main reasons why the service was called out.

The charity said it was looking to ensure "critical" funding for the £17m-a-year operation for the future, and said the "sobering" figures reaffirmed the need for the service in the capital.

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