'I want to help people like those who saved my dad'
"I want to help people just like the paramedics who helped save my dad," says Hannah Standing.She is now training to be a paramedic after her dad Conway was saved twice - when he had Covid-19 in 2022 and after he collapsed in a Derby store a year later.Ms Standing is in her fourth year studying paramedic science with an integrated masters at Keele University in Staffordshire.The 22-year-old, from Elvaston in Derbyshire, said the "reassurance and care" given to her dad by paramedics was something she wanted to give to other people in her future line of work.
"I want to make a difference in people's lives, and if I can reassure and care for people like the paramedics reassured me and my mum, I know I am doing something right," said Ms Standing.Ms Standing said her passion towards caring for people came when she did work experience at a care home that her dad owns."I absolutely loved being with the people at the care home, but I knew I didn't want to be inside all day for a job," she added.Ms Standing said paramedics were the ones that reassured her that her dad was going to be OK after he became breathless whilst suffering with Covid."My dad is my rock who is always there to help me, but in that moment, it was horrible because we couldn't help him; my mum and I felt vulnerable and helpless," she added."When the two paramedics came to our house, they took care of him and reassured us he was going to be OK. That is when I decided that their job is the one I wanted to do."
Her dad was helped again by paramedics after he collapsed in the store in Derby, and Ms Standing said that incident "reinforced" her drive to train as a paramedic at university."Paramedics carried out an electrocardiogram (ECG) test on my dad, and they found out it was irregular heartbeats that were causing his dizziness," she added."If it wasn't for the paramedics finding his irregular heartbeats, then I don't think he would have had his pacemaker fitted, which means he is OK now."We aren't just people that transfer people to hospital; we do make a big difference."
As well as training to become a paramedic, Ms Standing also gained a Robinson R22 helicopter pilot licence in 2022 but said she does not want to become an air ambulance paramedic."My dad is a helicopter pilot as well, and he started my hobby of driving helicopters when I was 15," said Ms Standing."Being a helicopter pilot is still a passion of mine, so I'm going to get my degree and have the best of both worlds."When I do finish university, I would love to get a job with East Midlands Ambulance Service, but the role of a paramedic is expanding, so there are lots of options for me in the future."
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Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
'My 30k steps a day at Amazon delivery job led to successful IVF at 44'
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Despite the stress of living in separate countries - with Joanna in England and Sindre in Norway - she pushed through, taking up a delivery job that had her walking 30,000 steps per day. And Joanna, an offshore helicopter pilot from Aberdeen, said this kept her in excellent physical health before being able to continue their IVF journey in the summer of 2020. "My mum had said to me at one point that I should freeze my eggs - and I thought it was a bit too "Hollywood," said Joanna. "But when I was in the States, I was out there for a lot longer than I planned to initially, and I started to think she had a good point. "I went to a clinic, and found that sadly, I'd missed my opportunity. BCRM said that there wasn't really much point in freezing my eggs, because there weren't many left at that stage - but they said they could possibly freeze embryos. "This was tricky because my partner Sindre and I weren't sure what the future held for us as we had both just moved back from the US, me to the UK and him to Norway," said Joanna. "But he was incredibly supportive and agreed to donate sperm to fertilise my eggs, and I began the necessary drugs and had two eggs removed on my first cycle. "The first cycle we went through failed - we collected two eggs from that and neither of them fertilised. I was in a stressful place at the time, and I wasn't enormously fit. "During COVID, we couldn't do another cycle anyway - and I needed a job to pay the bills. Amazon was the only job that fitted the bill because my parents were elderly and shielding, so I wanted something where I wasn't going to be in much contact with people. "With Amazon, delivering is crazy - I was doing around 30,000 steps per day, plus I had a very active Labrador. I would get up early, walk the dog, do a full day of deliveries, come back to walk the dog again - and then do some yoga because I was so sore from getting in and out of the van all day. "I was eating much healthier - I would have to prep things in advance to take with me, because when you're working for Amazon, you don't get time to stop for food. I was probably the fittest I've ever been in my entire life." When treatment restarted in the summer of 2020, Joanna had a second cycle which resulted in one embryo for freezing, and in September she had a third cycle. "After a little while, when the fertility clinics were able to offer treatment again, the next cycle was better. The next cycle after that was better still - although I don't know whether my fitness was a factor or not!" she said. "After the third cycle of treatment the BCRM team retrieved six eggs, which resulted in another three fertilised embryos. "With four frozen embryos now available to us - not a huge number, but not bad - I felt I had done all I could to protect my chances of eventually becoming a mother, and in August 2021 I relocated to take up a new flying job in Aberdeen." When COVID restrictions were in place Sindre was living and working in his native Norway and the couple were unable to see each other for 18 months due to border closures and rules requiring three weeks of quarantine, which was not possible to manage alongside work. Despite the odds, Joanna and Sindre's relationship flourished and at the end of 2022 he joined her in Aberdeen. Once settled, the couple decided it was time to try for a baby, and with no natural conception occurring due to her low ovarian reserve, Joanna contacted BCRM again. While her first embryo transfer didn't result in pregnancy, the second did, but although the eight-week scan revealed a heartbeat, there was none at the 12-week scan which Joanna said was heartbreaking. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. However, in May 2024 she had the third of her four frozen embryos transferred with a successful result and at the end of February 2025, Joanna and Sindre were delighted to welcome daughter Alia into the world. Once Joanna had checked there was no reason not to travel with a newborn, she flew her down for a surprise visit to meet her maternal grandparents in Surrey, and then over to Stavanger in Norway shortly after to visit her Norwegian grandparents. "She is proving to be a very sweet, happy baby and so far a chilled traveller," said Joanna. "The name Alia was one Sindre and I first heard when living in Hawaii, and loved as we felt it was simple yet pretty, so that was the name we kept coming back to even though it is unusual in the UK and Norway. "When visiting the hospital for a check-up, they mistakenly had her on their system as 'Alan' which we found entertaining so that might stick as a nickname." Joanna and Sindre are thrilled to have become parents - and Joanna is eager to share her story in the hopes of encouraging women to explore the fertility options available to them. "I wanted to share my story so that other women in my position might be encouraged by what is possible," said Joanna. "I think, had I realised how hard it was going to be, I would have prioritised it more when I was younger. I think the only thing I would do differently is that if I could speak to my 30-year-old self, I would have frozen eggs a lot younger to give myself more options. "Now, becoming a new mama at 44 marks such an exciting new chapter in my life, and we are over the moon to have our beautiful little daughter."
Scotsman
7 hours ago
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Hay fever tablets: The common medicines you should never mix with antihistamines
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Daily Mirror
a day ago
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Covid Nimbus variant with painful symptom UK hospital cases rise
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