A wife and mother of two from Hassocks, Sussex was recently able to reunite with the ambulance service colleagues who helped save her life in February 2023.

Sophie Turner, aged 33, was at home on the evening of Sunday, 19 February 2023 with her husband Alex, son, Freddie, and newborn daughter, Annie, who she had delivered via caesarean section just six days prior.

Sophie had been suffering from immense pain and discomfort since the delivery, as well as a large amount of worsening swelling and bruising to her stomach.

Sophie got up to go into the bathroom at her home, and instantly felt a ripping sensation. To her complete disbelief, her caesarean section had burst open, exposing her intestines and bowel. Sophie screamed for her husband Alex, who quickly rang 999, with an ambulance dispatched to their home, arriving minutes later.

Arriving on scene was Critical Care Paramedic, Gerry Davis, Ambulance Paramedic, Natalie Goodman, Student Paramedic, Sara Graham and Trainee Associate Ambulance Practitioner, Alexandra Lawler. Between them, they were able to calm both Sophie and Alex, while securing her intestines and bowel to safely convey her to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for further medical treatment.

Sophie, alongside her husband Alex, son Freddie, daughter, Annie and mother, Alicia, were pleased to recently visit South East Coast Ambulance Service’s (SECAmb) Make Ready Centre in Brighton where they had an emotional reunion with the ambulance service colleagues who helped to save her life that evening.

In addition to Gerry, Natalie, Sara and Alexandra, Charlotte Bassett, the 999-call handler, who guided Alex and Sophie over the phone, was also able to meet Sophie and her family.

Since the incident, Sophie has endured various complications such as severe nerve damage, a damaged bladder which has meant she needed to use a catheter and post-traumatic stress disorder. Sophie has now returned to work as a hairdresser and takes every day as it comes.

Sophie said: “I also delivered my son Freddie via caesarean section and so I knew what type of pain to expect in the days and weeks following but what I went on to experience was nothing short of traumatising. From the moment I was discharged from hospital I knew something wasn’t quite right.”

Sophie said: “I was absolutely terrified; I was 100% certain I was about to die. I’ve never been so scared in my whole life. My husband was there with our six-day old baby and our six-year-old son was asleep in the room next door.”

Alexandra said: “This was only my third shift with SECAmb and so it was an extreme eye opener into major trauma. We tried our best to keep Sophie calm and reassure her that she was in the best hands.”

Charlotte said: “As a 999-call handler, it’s rare we ever get to find out the outcome of a call, and so I often find myself making up positive endings for them all. It was an absolute pleasure to meet Sophie and her family in person, and to hear their story. It was amazing to see her so positive and doing well.”

Sophie said: “I never really got the chance to thank them so much for everything they did to help me on that evening. I think of this experience every single day and I always think of the ambulance crew who were so kind and amazing to me. I feel so grateful to be alive and to be a mummy to my babies, as things could have been so much different. This is all thanks to the incredible crew.”

Sophie said: “I am an at-home hairdresser, which means I often am washing my client’s hair in my bathroom where the incident happened. When I close my eyes, I re-live the event and can see the crew there in my bathroom, trying so hard to save my life. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about what happened.”

Sara added: “I am extremely proud to be part of the crew that provided Sophie with a positive and caring experience during some of the scariest moments in her trauma. I wish her and her family all the best.”