Mia’s baby Clayton might not have survived without the care he received from the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

A woman who gave birth at only 22 weeks said if her baby had not received care from the East Anglian Air Ambulance, he “wouldn’t be alive”. Mia Cornelius, 21, started feeling stomach pains at home on Sunday, January 12, 2025, before going into premature labour.

She then gave birth to Clayton well before his due date. The East Anglian Air Ambulance sent two crew members, Dr Liam Neale and Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) Jon Locke to her house to help Miss Cornelius and her newborn.

Miss Cornelius, from Haverhill, said: “They came to assess Clayton because of how dire the situation was. He was so tiny and really struggling to breathe. I had lost a lot of blood as well. The East Anglian Air Ambulance did a good job of assessing me as well and checking I was okay and comfortable. If it wasn’t for them, Clayton probably wouldn’t be alive.”

The crew were able to help raise Clayton’s heart rate and oxygen levels using equipment and knowledge that paramedics do not have. Dr Nicola Ebbs, the Deputy Medical Director, sai this care can make a difference in life or death situations.

She said: “For baby Clayton, he received that hospital level care at home. His oxygen levels and heart rate were low. The treatment that Liam and Jon were able to give him meant they could raise them otherwise he would have had half an hour of none of that care before getting to the hospital.

“It’s that additional care we can deliver that can really make a difference. We can’t fit the whole of a hospital into the back of a helicopter but the key bits of equipment and interventions are what we try and deliver to impact patients’ outcomes.”

Alongside the air ambulance crew, a road ambulance and paramedics also attended. Miss Cornelius described the situation as ‘chaotic’ but said the air ambulance crew helped to “calm everything down”.

She added: “It was quite surreal at first. They were so organised and calm. They took the situation into their own hands and helped us through it so well. It’s not just stressful for patients. I can imagine for them walking into that would be quite scary but they seemed to be so calm. It was so strange how quickly they calmed everything down.”

The East Anglian Air Ambulance is able to bring a higher level of care to patients who are in ‘dire’ need. She continued: “They bring hospital care to people’s homes. The equipment and knowledge they’ve got, you can only find that in intensive care units and in hospitals. Normal paramedics are amazing but these guys bring so much knowledge and experience, they can perform work that you really only see in hospitals.”

As Cambridge Airport is due to close, the East Anglian Air Ambulance has approval to build a new site in Fulbourn – but the charity needs to raise £8.2 million first. Miss Cornelius said her baby might not have survived without help from the air ambulance crew.

She continued: “It’s very important to have a base so people in this area are able to receive that care. There are so many different accidents and medical emergencies that they see to on a daily basis.

“Not having an air base in the area could affect the service majorly. There are people that are going to need this care.”

There are many ways people can get involved to help raise the money needed for the new air base. You can donate online, text BASE10 or BASE20 to 70480 to donate £10 or £20 or return a donation using an appeal envelope that will be delivered to households across the region.

People who donate £175 or more will have their chosen name added to one of the charity’s helicopters. For more information about donating, you can visit the East Anglian Air Ambulance website.