On Sunday 10th May, my Dad collapsed at the Bideford 10k after suffering a major heart attack, resulting in cardiac arrest.

He survived.

The fact that the attack happened at the Bideford 10k meant he was able to get the medical attention he needed at the time. Two runners on the scene performed CPR - I’ll be forever grateful to those runners, as they kept him alive long enough for the paramedics to get to him with a defibrillator to restart his heart.

The Air Ambulance then took him straight to Exeter hospital. From there, he was then transferred to London where he underwent a triple bypass operation, and thanks to all this he is now at home and recovering well.

Without the Air Ambulance, he might not have made it this far. It was their incredibly fast response (they were already waiting for him by the time the ambulance got him back into town) that meant he was able to be stabilized quickly enough and transferred to hospital before any lasting damage was done.

I was amazed to learn that the Devon Air Ambulance Trust (DAAT) only have 2 helicopters for the huge area they cover – and scarily, the first was already out on call when my Dad collapsed.

DAAT is a recognised charity, and needs to raise a huge £4.5 million every year just to keep their service going.  They also need to raise an additional £1 million to meet their maintenance and repair costs, and to extend their operating hours. Without our help, they can’t do their job – and that job is essential. You can find out more about their service here: http://www.daat.org/our-service

Whilst we’ve tracked down the runners and marshals and race organisers to express our thanks for what they did, it’s hard to know how to really thank someone for saving the life of a loved one. I mean, what on earth can you possibly offer to repay something that big?

Whilst I'm still trying to answer that, what I can do in the meantime is support the DAAT charity so that they can keep their amazing service going. But I can't do that alone!

I'm going to be cycling the Prudential Ride 100 (yep, that's 100 MILES) in August to raise money for the Devon Air Ambulance, and I would be so grateful if you could donate even a few pennies.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.