Hastings girl, 10, reunites with ambulance crews who saved her life

Scarlett Stockley, 10, and her mum Laura visited the ambulance station in Bohemia Road, to see the medical staff who rushed her to hospital after she fell ill.

South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECamb) said Scarlett was 'delighted' to meet with the crews and got a special glimpse inside an ambulance and the chance to turn on the blue lights and sirens.

The schoolgirl suddenly felt unwell with a headache before collapsing during a tumbling stunt at her gymnastics class on May 31, 2024, SECamb said.

The youngster, who was nine at the time, ended up suffering from a life-altering brain injury.

SECamb said paramedic Antonia Warrick and student paramedic Darren Campbell arrived on scene within two minutes of the call to 999.

Antonia said: “Scarlett was fitting when we arrived on scene and I knew something was seriously wrong.

“Our priority was to stabilise her as quickly as possible and get her the urgent care she needed. It’s incredibly special to see how far she has come.”

Darren said: “It was a really intense situation, especially knowing how young Scarlett was.

“To see how well she is recovering - it’s moments like this which remind you why you do this job.”

The crew took Scarlett to Conquest Hospital where scans revealed an arteriovenous malformation (AMV) on her brain which required immediate life-saving surgery.

An AVM is a tangle of blood vessels that disrupts normal blood flow and oxygen circulation in the brain.

Only an hour after arriving at hospital, paramedic Chloe Lashmar and student paramedic Jaidan Perna were dispatched to transport Scarlett and her mum to Kings College Hospital in London where Scarlett underwent critical neurosurgery, SECamb said.

Chloe said: “Time was critical, so we focused on getting Scarlett and her mum safely to King’s College Hospital as quickly and smoothly as possible. Meeting Scarlett again and seeing her determination and positivity was amazing – she’s an inspiration to all of us.”

Scarlett’s mum said: “I’m so thankful to everyone who has helped Scarlett. Our lives have completely changed since then but she is inspiring at how she has handled everything.

“It was lovely to meet the crews again in better circumstances and for Scarlett to meet some of the people who saved her life.”

Over the last year, Scarlett has undergone nine surgeries and rehabilitation for hemiplegia caused by the AVM impacting her mobility on one side of her body.

Her mother said it damaged the right side of Scarlett's brain, affecting the left side of her body.

Scarlett had to learn how to talk, eat and walk again and now lives with left-sided hemiplegia and hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

She said: “When I can run, I won’t be walking around the house anymore. I’m hoping I’ll be able to go back to gymnastics one day too.”