Emma Kinnear was told her daughter might never walk again.
Gracie was seriously injured in a road collision several years ago, rushed to Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen, and met there by Wales Air Ambulance medics who had been sent in a rapid response vehicle.
“If it wasn’t for them, my daughter most likely would not be here today,” her mother said.
This week Gracie, now seven, went back to the charity’s Dafen airbase near Llanelli and was handed a certificate of merit from the Child of Wales Awards 2026.
A collapsed lung, two blood transfusions and five days in a coma
The medics found Gracie had a collapsed lung. They sedated her, put in a breathing tube, and made a small incision between her ribs to release the pressure.
Internal bleeding meant she needed a blood transfusion, given at her side. She needed another on the way to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, where paediatric and major trauma teams took over.
She was placed in a coma. For five days it was touch and go.
Gracie had broken her scapula, ribs and pelvis, and had lacerations to her liver and a shattered right kidney. Surgeons reattached her ear and scalp.
Rehabilitation took two years. She wore a special suit to realign her body, and learned to walk and feed herself again.
“The journey has been long and hard,” Emma said. “I had to change jobs to make sure that she got to all her appointments. She returned to school, which was a big achievement.”
Her brother has been her biggest champion
“Her brother Chester has been incredible every step of the way,” Emma said. “He encourages her so much and is her biggest champion.”
Last December Gracie became the face of the charity’s Christmas campaign. It raised more than £65,000, which the charity says is enough to fund eighteen combined air and road missions.
The family had no idea what was coming when the phone rang last week.
“I received a phone call asking if we would like to visit during the school holidays. It always feels like home, so of course I said yes,” Emma said.
“We had a wonderful welcome from everyone, and it was such a special moment when Gracie received her certificate. Her face lit up.”
A day out, and a pool
One of the awards sponsors, Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire, has invited the family for a day at the resort.
That means more to them than it might sound. Hydrotherapy was a large part of Gracie’s recovery.
“Gracie loves to swim and be in the water,” Emma said. “As soon as she could take her arm floats off, she was off. There was a time when swimming seemed impossible. We were initially told she might be paralysed.”
Steven Stokes, the charity’s director of strategic communication and engagement, said Gracie’s story had touched a lot of people.
“Her positive impact on people across Wales, at such a young age, is truly remarkable,” he said.
“It was also wonderful to meet her brother Chester, who has not only supported Gracie’s fundraising, but has been by her side throughout her remarkable recovery.”
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