Former Army helicopter medic cared for by KSS after suffering life-threatening injury shares his story 

Jez Stevens, a former Army helicopter medic, whose life was saved by KSS, is bravely sharing his remarkable story of survival to help our lifesaving charity raise vital funds through our New Year Raffle.  

In September 2019 Jez was working on a construction site while on leave from the military, helping his son Jake with the construction of a swimming pool in Ashford, Kent. As he drove a dumper truck down a ramp into the pool it slid off the side of the ramp, trapping Jez underneath and leaving him with serious head injuries.  

His journey of recovery is a powerful reminder of the vital role that KSS, which is currently celebrating 35 years of saving lives, plays in providing critical lifesaving care across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.  

Jez recalls:All the safety precautions had been followed. It was a one in a million chance. My recovery has taken a few years, and I have various inconveniences, as I call them. I have issues with balance and coordination, dexterity, visual disturbances, a constant buzzing in my ear and head pain. But I’m OK. After all, if it weren’t for KSS my four children would no longer have a father. The professionalism and dedication of KSS has given me a future. And that’s why I encourage you to support them.”  

Every day we respond to an average of nine emergency calls for help, giving patients such as Jez the best chance of survival when every second counts. Using our AW169 helicopters fitted with state-of-the-art medical equipment, our crews can reach any part of Kent, Surrey or Sussex in under 30 minutes, bringing the emergency room to the scene to deliver lifesaving care.  

It took our team just forty minutes to treat Jez at the scene and then get him to London’s King’s College Hospital for the specialist onward care he so urgently needed, a journey that would have taken 1 hour and forty minutes by road.  

Dr Duncan Bootland, our Medical Director, was part of the KSS team that treated Jez. He explains time was not on Jez’s side:  

“Jez had several injuries to his brain and significantly, a subdural haemorrhage. This is a bleed that puts pressure around the edge of the brain. To avoid serious damage, it was vital to quickly get him into an operating theatre to relieve this pressure.   

“I’m convinced that our speed of response and the specialist care at the scene made a significant difference to his recovery. He is one of those patients where we can be sure that we have made a truly lifesaving difference”.  

As well as giving his backing to the KSS New Year Raffle, Jez has undertaken a number of fundraising activities including taking on our `Run 31’ challenge in which participants have been raising vital funds by running or walking 31 miles during January.  

To learn more about Jez’s read his story and to support our work please play the KSS New Year Raffle.

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Before his accident Jez was an Army helicopter medic
Dr Duncan Bootland, our Medical Director, was part of the team who cared for Jez
Since his accident Jez has taken part in a number of fundraising events for KSS

Saving lives when every second counts

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