A young Caerphilly boy who suffered a freak accident and was treated by Wales Air Ambulance, has helped it launch it's Christmas appeal, aptly called Ioan's Merry Mission.

In October 2022, the Watts family, of Caerphilly, were celebrating their son Rhodri’s birthday when it became a birthday to remember for all the wrong reasons.

Rhodri’s older brother, Ioan, was playing on his scooter in the garden shed, but the fun soon stopped when he slid across the concrete and fell 8ft over a ledge headfirst, leaving him fighting for his life.

Ioan Watts (Image: Submitted) Wales Air Ambulance dispatched two critical care teams and when they arrived they found that Ioan was unconscious, having a seizure and he’d started vomiting which meant his airway was blocked.

The critical care team cleared his airway and gave him some medication to stop the seizure. They also delivered a pre-hospital anaesthetic and placed him on a ventilator, helping to protect his brain.

Ioan's parents Lydia and Richard were told to expect the worst, and neither the Wales Air Ambulance crew or his family knew if he would ever wake up or recover.

Ioan spent three weeks in intensive care in a coma and underwent a craniotomy, where part of his skull was removed.

Ioan in hospital with brother Rhodri (Image: Submitted) Lydia said: “After three weeks in a coma, and emergency brain surgery, Ioan began his slow recovery, learning to walk, talk and do almost everything he could do before his accident. He worked so hard and after three months in hospital, he came home to continue his recovery."

Ioan said: “Since my accident, I’ve raised money for my heroes, by climbing Pen y Fan and running a 2k, because without them, I wouldn’t be here.

“Most children will ask for toys this Christmas but it’s my ‘merry mission’ to make sure that more lives can be saved this Christmas. Please help me to achieve my mission and donate to this lifesaving charity. You never know when you or your family might need them. Thank you.” 

If you like to donate and help save more lives across Wales, you can donate at www.walesairambulance.com/mymerrymission.