A GRIEVING mother has had an emotional meeting with a paramedic who tried to save her son after learning his father helped look after her when she was young.
Zoey McGill’s son Jack died after he was stabbed and she has been raising money in memory of the 18-year-old.
She discovered Jamie Walsh, one of the paramedics who helped treat Jack, is the son of the case worker who helped her when she was in care as a teenager.
She said Jamie’s dad had counselled her when she was pregnant with Jack, and showed her a picture of Jamie as a baby, telling her: “You would not believe he is a paramedic now.”
Zoey, who is from Newton Aycliffe, said she had always remembered his kindness and could not believe it when she heard the name of the man who gave Jack a fighting chance after he was attacked as he left the Houghton Feast in October.
She was it an ‘amazing coincidence.’
The GNAAS’s road crew attended when Jack was wounded at the Britannia Inn on Newbottle Street in Houghton-le-Spring at 9.30pm on October 16.
Zoey McGill, left, with her sons and her husband, Chris, with her son, as they hand over their donation to the GNAAS paramedic Jamie Walsh and the doctor who tried to save him
Jack was leaving the fun fair with his girlfriend when he became involved in an altercation with a group of teenagers.
He was beaten and suffered a stab wound but the medics managed to stabilise his condition and he was taken to RVI in Newcastle where he was put on a life support machine.
Jack died from his injuries the following day.
Jack Woodley
Northumbria Police has charged a total of ten young people aged 14 to 17 with Jack’s murder and a trial has been listed to start at Newcastle Crown Court on March 1.
On Friday, Zoey met Jamie, along with the GNAAS doctor, as she handed over a cheque for £1,000 for the life-saving charity.
The money was donated by people who knew Jack and wanted to help pay for his funeral, but his family decided they wanted to say thank you to GNAAS and the RVI.
Speaking about the donation, she said: “We found out after Jack died the two paramedics who attended on Jack in the street managed to get his heart beating again so we got to say ‘goodbye’ in the hospital, which just meant the world to us.
“Without them he would have just died in the street.
“We’re so overwhelmed by the reaction of people who wanted to donate in Jack’s memory.
“We plan on continuing to fundraise for him in the future.”
The meeting at Urlay Nook, Eaglescliffe, took place on Friday
Zoey, who is campaigning to tackle knife crime, is also making a donation to the RVI in Newcastle.
Read more: Home are still without electricity in County Durham
GNAAS paramedic Jamie Walsh said: “It was a pleasure to meet Jack’s family at our base, we just wish it was under better circumstances.
“We are incredibly humbled by the generous donation and want to thank everyone who was involved in raising these funds, as this will help our team continue to be there for future families in the region.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel