By Isle of Wight Observer
Musicians from across the Island generously gave up their time to take part in a charity ‘Blues and Twos’ concert on Sunday to raise money for the Hants & IW Air Ambulance.
The fund-raiser was organised by David Ballard, of Freshwater Bay, whose life was saved by paramedics and the Air Ambulance, after he suffered a stroke at home last October.
The four-hour concert took place at the Apollo Theatre, Newport, where an appreciative crowd was entertained by Loren and Jim Thorn, Debbie Wyke, Black Daniels, Paul Armfield, Second Time Around, The Burglars, Laurie McVay, The Watch, Annalisa Vaughan, JC and Angelina and Tony Nicol.
The event concluded with a heartfelt appeal from organiser David, who looked back at his experience and said: “Please, if you take just one thing away from today, remember, when someone has a stroke, Act FAST – Face, Arm, Speech, Time. Every minute counts.
“I was very, very lucky, my wife, Esme, was there and she knew what to do. As I lay on the kitchen floor, I could hear every word when she called 999. ‘Yes, the left side of his face has collapsed. No, he can’t use his left arm. No, he can’t talk properly, his speech is incoherent’.
“The paramedics arrived in 20 minutes. Then I was off in the ambulance with the blue light flashing and the two-tone siren blaring. Blues and Twos. In the helicopter, I can remember looking up at a clear blue sky watching the blades go round, and up and away!
“Just 10 minutes or so later, I was in the operating theatre in Southampton where the surgeon removed the blood clot from my brain and also dealt with a blocked main artery in my neck.
“I now have a short length of plastic tubing holding the artery open to take blood up into my head. Remember, every minute counts.”
The amount of money raised has yet to be announced.
Mal Butler