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One night in early October, Sal was fast asleep at home in bed. At around 3am, her partner Tim woke up to the sound of Sal shaking and breathing loudly. He immediately realised something was very wrong and called 111.

“Nothing like this had ever happened to Sal before so it was quite an alarming experience,” remembers Tim.

Sal was having a seizure. When she resumed consciousness, she woke up to find paramedics in her bedroom. “I was quite scared as I started to piece together what had happened, but I know Tim was extremely relieved when they arrived. After I had taken in my surroundings and what had happened, I was obviously very grateful they were there,” recalls Sal.

 Paramedic Offer Kayleigh Lewis and Graduate Paramedic Dav Francis provided emergency clinical care for Sal that night.

“We arrived at the house and met Tim, who appeared very calm and detailed what had happened. He then led us in to meet Sal, who was thankfully not seizing anymore but was still very confused and unsure why there were two strangers dressed in green in her room!” says Kayleigh.

“It is very normal for people to be confused when they have just had a seizure,” says Dav. “We explained to Sal what was going on and that we needed to transport her to hospital for further observations.”

 “I was looked after so well,” recalls Sal. “When I got to hospital I had an ECG and a blood sugar test, amongst a few other things. Despite the situation being startling and upsetting, I felt very reassured the entire time – the paramedics were very calm, professional and comforting.”

A few weeks later, Sal is feeling much better.  “We’re still getting to the bottom of things - I’m due to have more tests and see a neurologist soon. In the meantime, after some initial rest I’ve more or less returned to my usual day-to-day life (except for a few things like driving).”

“It was quite shocking to wake up and find paramedics around my bedside. But they were absolutely wonderful – the care and reassurance I received was outstanding. All things considered I felt very calm and I definitely knew that I was in the best possible hands. I’m also extremely grateful for the assistance and support Tim was given over the phone while the ambulance was on its way. The Wellington Free Ambulance staff and service were just incredible!” says Sal.

“We were very glad to be there for Sal when she needed us and we're so glad to hear she's doing well,” says Kayleigh. “Our job is definitely easier when we hear of good patient outcomes.”

Every year, Wellington Free Ambulance needs to raise around $7 million to keep our services free of charge. If you would like to support us to continue to be here for people like Sal, please donate today. Thank you for your support.