On 29th October 2018, Lisa received a terrifying phone call that no mother or wife would have ever expected.

The 42-year-old Kitchen Assistant was informed at work that her husband of nine years, Ian, and her two young sons, Jack,14 and Harry, 11, had been involved in a road traffic collision and were being prepared to be airlifted to The Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle.

In a state of shock, Lisa was driven to the scene by Ian’s best friend John where she arrived at the catastrophic crash scene.

Another car had come around the corner, speeding on the wrong side of the road and hit Ian and the boys head on and pushed them right off the road. The car was totally wrecked.

 “I think the hardest part for me was on the way to the accident. They wouldn’t tell me whether they were alive or not.

 “It was only until I got to the scene, that’s when I saw Harry going up in the helicopter. Jack had just been cut out of the car, and my husband was still trapped in the wreckage.”

Shortly after, Ian and Jack were also airlifted to hospital by the Great North Air Ambulance where they were all admitted into critical care and faced a long journey to recovery. The brothers were in hospital for three weeks and Ian, for four weeks.

The three sustained a vast number of physical and mental injuries; Ian broke both of his legs and had significant facial damage. In addition, he broke his left knee, a big toe, a finger on his left hand, and suffered lacerations to his hand and arm.

Furthermore, Jack shattered both of his wrists, damaged his lung, and snapped his femur, while Harry broke his shoulder, fractured his pelvis, and had a bleed to his spleen.

“RVI looked after them amazingly and I can’t thank them enough. When we got home it was a difficult experience because you have them all to look after, wounds to dress, as well as washed and fed.

 “Within the last six to nine months, they’ve started doing really well. It took us a long time to be able to get my youngest son Harry mental help because living in Cumbria there’s nothing available.

“Jack needs another operation, because at the minute he’s got one leg slightly longer than the other from one of the legs he broke.

“Ian’s progression has been going really well and he’s back cycling again. They told him that he’d never be able to get on a bike again, but he’s been out cycling 100 miles.”

Grateful for the services of Great North Air Ambulance, Lisa is set to run alongside over 32,000 participants as she embarks on the adidas Manchester Marathon, the UK’s fastest, flattest, and most friendliest major events on Sunday 14th April 2024 to raise money for the charity.

With over 125,000 energetic supporters ready to cheer on and provide words of encouragement, Lisa is thrilled at the challenge of completing the scenic 26.2-mile route:

“With the accident, I had to stop running for a while, but I’m back now and loving it. My marathon preparations are going well, and I’ve been following the 12-week training programme.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about the challenge, the atmosphere and the support, so I’m just going to enjoy it all and I look forward to experiencing everything that is great about the adidas Manchester Marathon.”

 

Thank you Lisa for sharing your story and taking on you first marathon with us this year. Good luck!