Hospital director wins air ambulance award
Lisa Challinor, a divisional director at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), has been honoured with the Inspiration Award at the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s annual Saving Lives Charity Ball.
The award recognises her remarkable resilience after a life-changing incident in which she was airlifted for emergency care.
The Divisional Director of Operations for Surgery, Anaesthetics, Cancer and Critical Care at SaTH was seriously injured in March 2024 when she was struck by a car travelling at speed on the wrong side of the road.
The incident resulted in an above-knee amputation and significant blood loss.
She was airlifted by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity to the University Hospitals of North Midlands. There, she underwent a seven-hour operation to save her life and preserve as much of her leg as possible.
Lisa said: “Midlands Air Ambulance Charity saved my life. I suffered extensive injuries to my left leg and lost a significant amount of blood and without them it could have been a very different story.”
“They undertook immediate care at the scene which our ambulance service can’t and airlifted me to University Hospitals of North Midlands and handed me over to the trauma team.”
After her initial hospital stay, Lisa spent 13 weeks at STEPS, an inpatient rehabilitation facility in Sheffield. She trialled her first prosthetic walking leg in April.
Despite the life-changing nature of her injuries, Lisa has shown determination throughout her recovery.
“I’m very much a ‘glass half full or full’ kind of person. I can’t change what has happened but I am not going to let it define me. I want to be able to do as many of the things I did before the accident and get on with life,” she stated.
Lisa is now training with the goal of completing the London Marathon.
Offering advice to others facing adversity she said: “Life is a bit of a rollercoaster and throws challenges at us all the time but remain positive and determined to achieve your goals. There is always someone worse off than you and you can’t change the past, but you can shape your future.”
“I would like to thank Midlands Air Ambulance Charity for the award, and I encourage everyone to support this amazing charity.”
Tom Waters, Clinical Operations Manager at Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Lisa’s journey is truly remarkable, and her resilience is nothing short of inspiring. She has navigated an incredibly challenging time with unwavering positivity and determination, which is why she is such a deserving recipient of the charity’s Inspiration Award.”
He added: “Lisa has shown tremendous support for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, and we’re deeply grateful for her continued involvement.”
