Donald’s Story

Donald Morris was on holiday in Cornwall back in the summer of 1991 when he suffered a cardiac arrest on the beach.

Donald, who suffered from a pre-existing heart condition, had spent the day surfing at Harlyn Bay with his wife. He started to feel tired, and as he walked out of the waves and up the sand, he collapsed.

Luckily, an off-duty GP was on the beach and rushed over to perform CPR and move him away from the incoming tide. The Cornwall Air Ambulance crew were just heading back to the airbase when they got the call tasking them to the scene, landing on the beach. The crew resuscitated Donald before airlifting him to Treliske Hospital for urgent onward care.

Jill Saunders, Donald’s daughter, said: “My mum thought he had died. I remember her telling me, ‘If this is the end of his life then this is the way to go’, because the sun was out, they were on Harlyn Bay and they’d been surfing, and it was almost like the perfect end. By the time she got to Treliske, Dad was sat up in bed and said, ‘where have you been?”.

Donald had suffered a ventricular fibrillation arrest and remained in hospital for around a week before being discharged. He became one of the first people in the country to have an implanted defibrillator fitted and went on to live for a further 20 years after his incident.

Jill said: “Dad said he always wanted to go in helicopter but obviously he didn’t remember it. If they hadn’t of been here, he would have died. It was an absolute miracle. Every time I’m in Cornwall I see the helicopter flying over and give it a wave.”

In the years following his incident, Donald, Jill and the family have donated several thousand pounds to the charity to say thank you. Jill has now made both her parents Heli2 Heroes, meaning their names will be featured on the base of the second AW169 helicopter which is due to arrive this spring.

She added: “They will always be up there in the sky over Cornwall, and hopefully they’ll go to rescue lots and lots more people, and that would mean a lot to them. They were so fond of Cornwall and it’s very dear to my heart.”

You can help more patients like Donald for years to come, by helping to bring a second lifesaving helicopter to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Now is the time to support the Heli2 Appeal: https://cornwallairambulancetrust.org/heli2-appeal/