About Us

Jade describes the morning of 11 April as “pretty stormy”. She woke around 5am and lay in bed, listening to the intense wind and rain. Around 5.15am, the wind got so intense and loud that she feared her window was going to smash.

 At that instant, she knew she had to get out.

 Jade’s 12-year-old son Cooper was in the bedroom next door, but 16-year-old Rhiley was in the sleep-out in the back corner of the garden. (Their 14-year-old son was thankfully away on holiday.)

"Mother's instinct"

As Jade explains, “I know it sounds strange, call it mother’s instinct, but I knew immediately Rhiley was hurt. I grabbed Cooper from his room and ran to the front door, where Rhiley already was.”

“I knew instantly it was bad, and we needed medical help. The first thing I saw was blood and that he had a huge gash. The power cut out, so I couldn’t see how bad it was, but I knew I needed to call an ambulance.”

“My son Cooper got the First Aid kit, and my husband Connor took Rhiley into the bathroom, where all Rhiley could say was ‘it’s gone, my cabin, it’s gone’.”

The shock of what was happening kicked in for Jade when she called the ambulance, but the call taker kept her calm and reassured that help was on the way.

According to Jade, “I knew that I had to remain calm to get the help needed, but the constant reassurance and the guidance to my husband on how to stem the bleeding was faultless and done with so much empathy”.

The ambulance’s arrival

It took just 8 minutes from Jade making the call to Rhiley being in the ambulance where our paramedics could assess and treat him.

There were 3 staff working that day and Jade says “they were so kind, checking everyone else was ok. The whole journey they reassured Rhiley, keeping him monitored and comfortable. We were so well-informed throughout and I feel their compassion and care was outstanding.”

Rhiley had a collapsed lung and needed urgent surgery as he had a large piece of glass lodged between his rib cage and lung, which had pierced his lung. He needed chest drains and spent almost a week in hospital, but he’s since made a full recovery.

It’s not just Rhiley who has used Wellington Free Ambulance. Jade suffers from severe treatment-resistant brittle asthma and has often needed Wellington Free. Jade believes our paramedics “are always so skilled, so empathetic and they genuinely care. They also have highly qualified paramedics that really give you the highest quality of care!”

For now, Jade and family just want to “truly thank the ambulance service for being there whenever we need them and giving us the ultimate reassurance and care”.

If you’d like to help us continue to be there for our communities in Greater Wellington and the Wairarapa, you can donate online at: https://www.wfa.org.nz/donate/