Scots nurse 'could have died' after collapsing at UK's most remote station
A Scots nurse came close to death after falling seriously ill at the UK's most remote train station with help hours away.
Mum-of-three Amy Fulford went out for a trip to Corrour Station, in the Highlands, with her friend who was visiting Scotland when she was suddenly struck by severe abdominal pain in May last year.
Little did the 52-year-old know that her bowel was on the verge of rupture and she was stranded in a life-threatening emergency.
She said: 'Suddenly I felt like I might pass out, so I went outside for fresh air. I tried to go for a walk thinking I would be ok but I didn't get very far before I collapsed on the floor.'
"I had no symptoms at all and had been feeling fine as we headed out for the day.
"When we arrived I began having a slight tummy ache, I tried to eat something but I managed two mouthfuls.
The nurse, who works at Belford Hospital in Fort William, was taken back to Corrour Station House by a passerby and her concerned friend, who dialled 999. But with the nearest road 17 miles away and no medics nearby, Amy's condition deteriorated rapidly.
'I phoned my consultant for help,' she said. 'She knew something serious was going on with me and immediately asked for help from the Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance.
"I was worried I might go into cardiac arrest, because my arms were going tingly and my head was dropping. I just felt completely trapped unable to get any help."
Amy, who lives near Spean Bridge, was left in agony and unsure if help would reach her in time.
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'When Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance paramedics arrived, the relief was overwhelming as I'd felt completely trapped with no help,' she added.
'I was given pain medication including morphine. They realised quickly that I needed to go to a major trauma hospital.'
With weather conditions worsening, paramedics stabilised Amy and flew her to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
There she underwent an emergency CT scan and was rushed straight to theatre as her husband George arrived.
'My bowel was close to rupture and I was told before surgery that it was a 50 per cent mortality rate,' she added.
Fortunately, Amy had made it to surgery in the nick of time. She was suffering from a congenital internal hernia — a rare condition that could have killed her within hours.
'If untreated, this condition can lead to rupture, sepsis and then death within around 12 hours,' Amy points out. "It was a race against time.
'If I had stayed where I was or gone by bumpy track road, I don't think I'd be here. The hospital staff were amazed I got there in time before it ruptured.'
Amy returned to work in January and is filled with gratitude for the helicopter team that saved her.
'I'm just so appreciative to be alive and getting back to normal and to my job as a nurse," Amy said. "The SCAA were an essential link in helping to save my life. I wouldn't be here today if I hadn't got to the hospital in time.'
Amazingly, this isn't the first time the air ambulance has come to her family's rescue. Amy reveals both her sons were airlifted to critical care after a serious car crash, and her father also needed a helicopter rescue after falling in Glencoe while gathering sheep.
"No one would predict any of those events would happen, but we're all okay and well now and that's because of the helicopter resource,' she says.
Since her near-death experience, Amy has raised over £4,000 for Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance by hosting a coffee morning — a heartfelt thank-you to the team she says gave her life back.
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