A bereaved Fife family are channelling their grief into positive fundraising for the charity emergency team that came to their aid.
Crail lobster fisherman James Murray died of a heart attack last year aged 44 but the determined efforts of paramedics from Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) won enough time for his loving family to say their final goodbyes.
His wife, Annette, and children Michelle, 18, and David,15, believe they would not have had the chance to say farewell were it not for the actions of the charity-funded helicopter air ambulance.
Along with James’s sister, Sharon Petrie, the family visited the emergency helicoptercrew’s base at Perth Airport to present a cheque for £1,415 money that was raised at a Crail coffee morning and a domino tournament in James’s memory.
The family now say their fundraising will go on “indefinitely”, with participation in the Glasgow 10K Run next on the agenda.
“For as long as there is a Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, we will be fundraising for it,” said Annette.
“Channelling our efforts towards supporting a charity that was there to supportus has helped us all to cope with our grief a little better. It has given us something to focus on and stops us dwelling on our loss.
“We can now see that something good can come from something so awful.”
Nurse Annette told of how she was called at work by her distressed daughter to say that something was wrong with James.
“When I arrived at the house, I could tell it was really serious,” she recalled.
“First Responders and land crew paramedics worked hard to keep him alive and incubated James to keep air flowing but there was only a very weak pulse.
“When I heard that SCAA was on its way I knew James would be taken to hospital quickly and get the best treatment possible.
“It would have taken at least 50 minutes by road but he was airlifted by SCAA to Ninewells in only seven minutes, giving James the best chance they could.”
Unfortunately, James never regained consciousness and died in hospital two days later but with his family at his bedside.
“The Murray family owes these guys a lot and we want to help ensure the charity is there for other families,” added Annette.
SCAA chief executive Gavin Davey said: “The Murray family has been hugely supportive of SCAA and their intention to continue fundraising fills all of us with inspiration. We share their sadness, but it makes us all the more determined to provideour life-saving and pain-relieving service to communities across Scotland.”