The family of Connor Brown has been reunited with the paramedic who tried to save his life after he was stabbed in Sunderland.
Connor, 18, was fatally stabbed in an alleyway near Sunderland's Gatsby's pub after stepping in to help others. It happened in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, February 24, 2019 and the team from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) were called to the scene.
A paramedic and two doctors drove to the city centre in their rapid response vehicle, which operates five nights a week in the North East. And in less than ten minutes they were by Connor's side giving him a blood transfusion to replace the blood he had lost in the attack.
After treating his wounds alongside the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), they accompanied Connor to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle in a NEAS road ambulance. Sadly Connor died from his injuries a short time later and flowers and tributes were left near the scene where the attack took place.
Connor's mum Tanya, 42, dad Simon, 52, and sister Ellen, 17, recently visited the GNAAS base near Eaglescliffe and were reunited with paramedic Marcus Johnson who came to Connor’s aid after the attack.
Mr Johnson said: "On a night-time unfortunately we attend a lot of stabbing incidents and in the case of Connor, he sadly could not be saved. It’s incredible to hear how the family are turning this awful situation into something positive which will benefit the local community."
Mrs Brown added: "I think GNAAS is, without doubt, one of our greatest emergency services available. The high level of call-outs the service attends proves just how invaluable the service is.
"My son received blood from the blood on board scheme which would not have been possible years ago and also the intensive treatment that he received at the scene alone from a team of highly trained professionals in an attempt to save his life. We will be forever grateful for the treatment our son Connor received."
Paying tribute to her son, Mrs Brown said: "Anyone who had the privilege of knowing Connor simply loved him, everyone he met warmed to his charm. He had a fun-filled life and as short as it was, there was never a dull moment with Connor around.
"He always gave 100% in everything he set out to do and would go to the ends of the earth to help someone, whether that be a stranger or someone he loved." Following Connor's death, his family launched the Connor Brown Trust to help young people and prevent knife crime in the community.
Mrs Brown said: "The reason we set up the trust initially was because we wanted to give something back to the community and to Sunderland as a whole for all their support. The aim of the trust is to raise awareness around knife crime, the dangers of knife crime and more so the impact knife crime has on families, perpetrators, and communities as a whole.
"We aim to educate as many of our young people as possible in a bid to prevent other families going through the heart-breaking day-to-day life we lead now without Connor. We also want to promote sports and encourage more young people to engage in physical activities, as this gives them a more positive outlook, self-confidence and a clearer mindset which has direct impact on the wider communities across the city."
GNAAS is dependent on donations to survive and has launched a raffle with a top prize of £10,000 to help it meet rising demand for its services. Tickets cost £1 each and are available now at: https://gna.as/2022raffle
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