Paramedics thanked 35 years after life-saving trip

Natalie Walsh hopes to raise £12,000 this year for the unit which helped save her life

A woman who was born with a congenital heart defect has thanked the paramedics who saved her life 35 years ago.

As a baby Natalie Walsh, from Stockton, was taken by ambulance to Newcastle's Freeman hospital and credits Jackie Southall and Bob Wright, who were with her that day, for keeping her alive.

She invited the pair to meet her for the first time since then, at a coffee morning she organised to raise funds for the hospital's Children's Heart Unit Fund (CHUF).

Ms Walsh said she was "overwhelmed to see people who've had such an impact on my life".

Jackie Southall and Natalie Walsh reconnected through social media

The trio reconnected through social media with Ms Walsh using an old newspaper cutting to track them down.

"A message popped onto my phone one day, and it was an image of me and Bob, and Natalie was asking if it was me," Ms Southall said.

"Now we've finally met and it's lovely because the last time I saw her she was so tiny and so poorly, it's just unbelievable," she added.

Mr Wright said the meeting was "absolutely marvellous".

"I do remember that day because a bit of equipment wasn't working so we had to just step up and do our best," he said.

Natalie Walsh was born with a congenital heart defect and will probably need a heart transplant in the future

The reunion took place in Norton, at one of a series of fundraising events Ms Walsh is organising in 2025 with the aim of raising £12,000 for CHUF.

"A year ago, one of my friends lost her little girl while she was waiting for a heart transplant so I wanted to raise some money, and hopefully some awareness," she said.

"It's my future too, because one day my heart may fail and I might need to have a transplant so we just need to have more conversations about organ donation," she added.