The mother of an eight-year-old boy who was struck by a motorcycle close to his home claims that without the air ambulance, he wouldn't be with her.
At the weekend, Air Ambulance NI celebrated its sixth birthday; during that time, it has responded to more than 3,500 incidents.
It responds to two emergency calls per day on average.
One of those calls-out occurred at Easter 2019 to Newtownards to treat Cillian Rogers, a four-year-old who had multiple wounds.
They included a brain bleed and a skull fracture.
"We wouldn't have him with us today if it wasn't for the air ambulance," Cillian's mother Courtney McCoubrey Rogers said on Good Morning Ulster.
He's doing so much better than we anticipated, to put it simply.
He most likely wouldn't have made it to the hospital or survived long enough to receive regular medical care.
"Having the air ambulance deliver their hospital care to the scene for him was really, really important. ".
Conor McMullan, age 11, was the first patient to receive treatment from the service on July 22, 2017.
Conor sustained a serious head injury while working on the family farm in Castlewellan. He was hit by a tractor trailer.
Conor was able to receive immediate critical care interventions and stabilization from the air ambulance's Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team.
According to HEMS operational lead Glenn O'Rorke, they treat about 70 kids annually.
He claimed that despite the size of Northern Ireland, the air ambulance can travel anywhere in the country in just 25 minutes from its base in Lisburn.
The most seriously ill or injured patients in Northern Ireland at the time, he said, "You say two patients a day.
"We are prepared to act, we practice daily, and we review all of our previous calls to make sure that our upcoming patients receive the same high-quality care as those who came before them. ".
"We are always ready to treat anyone of any age," he continued. "We also carry specialized equipment that is size appropriate and clearly labeled by age for ease of access at scenes, where every second counts. " .
As a neighborhood charity, Air Ambulance NI strives to raise £2.5m annually to keep the service operating.
The charity's operating costs have increased due to the current cost of living crisis, and its daily fundraising goal has increased from £5,500 to £6,850.
Courtney McCoubrey Rogers claimed she could never express her gratitude for the service.
"I get to tuck my baby into bed every night and I get to send him off to school because of the air ambulance and because people donate to the air ambulance to allow the service to run," she said.
"I am so glad it was there. It's never something you think you're going to need as a family, until you do. It should carry on.
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