IN a matter of days hospital bosses will recommend the fate of Lister s A&E services. This recommendation will then form the basis of a public consultation which will last for 13 weeks. As the future of Lister s A&E department hangs in the balance, concer

IN a matter of days hospital bosses will recommend the fate of Lister's A&E services.

This recommendation will then form the basis of a public consultation which will last for 13 weeks.

As the future of Lister's A&E department hangs in the balance, concerned readers have been contacting The Comet with personal stories of how this service has saved the lives of loved ones.

In December 1993, The Comet reported that the life of toddler James Usher was saved by paramedics and staff at Lister after he fell into a pond at his home in Scarborough Avenue, Stevenage.

Last week, more than 13 years on from the incident, James' mother Sue told The Comet why she thinks a fully-functioning A&E at Lister is vital.

Mrs Usher said: "We were in the middle of building a new pond and were going to put all the netting in the next day.

"We reckon James' dummy fell in and he went in after it.

"Paramedics came from Lister. They said his airways were blocked so they tried to breathe some air into him.

"He was taken to Lister and had no heartbeat for an hour and 10 minutes.

"It took five attempts to get him back but they kept on trying.

"He had blue skin and dark blue lips but they said they wouldn't give up because he was young and healthy.

"Without the paramedics and staff at Lister, James wouldn't be here today.

"He wouldn't have made it to the QEII. He would be dead."

Mrs Usher is keen to support the campaign to save the A&E at Lister.

She said: "It's important for people to have their say now. Our family has all signed the petition.

"The proximity of Lister right next to the motorway is vital, especially when patients have to be transferred to London hospitals."

Kay Cox, who lives in Warwick Road, Stevenage, is also backing Lister after her 18-month-old daughter Yasmin choked on a biscuit and had to be revived by hospital staff two weeks ago.

She said: "Yasmin was at home when it happened. It made her pass out and she threw up.

"If the paramedics weren't so quick she would have been brain damaged or dead now.

"If it wasn't for Lister hospital and the staff there she wouldn't be here today.

"There isn't enough money or flowers to say thank you. She has been cared for so well..