A COUPLE from Charlton are raising money for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance after it saved the life of their young son when he suffered a severe allergic reaction to sesame seeds.

While out shopping in Malmesbury’s Waitrose on January 19, Gemma Duff, 31, took her 16-month-old son Lucas to the cafe for lunch.

But the day took a horrifying turn when Lucas got hold of a bread stick with sesame seeds on it and took a bite, causing his face to swell up and his mother quickly realised that something was very wrong.

Lucas’ father Craig Duff explained that his son had a serious allergic reaction to the sesame seeds and had to be rushed to hospital by the Wiltshire Air Ambulance, which landed on a field nearby.

Craig said: “She (Gemma) immediately phoned the GP but while she was on the phone it quickly became apparent that it was much more serious than that as he had started coughing and choking.

“The air ambulance landed in the field next to Waitrose and airlifted Lucas and Gemma to Bristol Children’s Hospital where he received the medicine and the urgent care that he needed.”

After getting a call from one of the paramedics in the helicopter, Mr Duff jumped in his car and got to the hospital as quickly as he could.

He said he was extremely relieved to find that when he got to Lucas, he was beginning to make a recovery and within 12 hours the family was on the way back to Charlton.

Craig explained that the event was traumatic for the family, but when they realised that the Wiltshire Air Ambulance would have had to spend as much as £2,500 for the airlift operation, they decided to try to return the favour.

Along with a dedicated team of friends Continued on page 3 and family Craig is taking on the three peaks of Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours to raise at least £2,500 for the charity.

As well as having already raised more than £1,600 towards his target Craig has also secured some cash towards the hire of a minibus from his employer Connect Group PLC in Swindon.

“I’ve done a few marathons and half marathons in the past and other running challenges, and there are a few that have done some but none of us are hikers or walkers,” said Craig.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance Critical Care Paramedic Richard Miller, who was part of the air crew that treated Lucas, said: “When we arrived Lucas was still unwell. We worked with the land crews to stabilise him on scene and decided it was best to fly him to Bristol Children’s Hospital to find out what had caused the reaction.

“The episode was potentially life threatening because the allergic reaction came on very quickly. He could have relapsed en-route to hospital and the speed of the aircraft meant we got him to Bristol in ten minutes.

"Going by road would have taken about 45 minutes. He was in the right place – a regional paediatric centre – to be treated.

“We wish Craig and his friends and family taking part in the Three Peaks Challenge all the best and thank them for raising money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.”

Lucas, now 21 months old, is a bright and happy young man and on a visit to the their headquarters informed the WAA team that he had named his favourite teddy George after the pilot who helped save his life.

To help the Duffs reach their fundraising target visit justgiving.com/TeamLucasGoWalking/