AN Egremont woman has completed her first marathon in support of the Great North Air Ambulance, which saved the lives of her loved ones after a horrific traffic collision.

Lisa McCrickard completed the Manchester Marathon on Sunday, and said: "The event was really hard.

"I had a massive panic attack at mile three then struggled to get my breath enough, but I just kept pushing on and tried to enjoy what I could."

In October 2018, Ms McCrickard received a terrifying phone call. The 42-year-old kitchen assistant was informed that her husband Ian, and her two sons, Jack, 14 and Harry, 11, had been involved in a road traffic collision and were being prepared to be airlifted to The Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in Newcastle.

She was driven to the scene where she learned that another car had come around the corner, speeding on the wrong side of the road, and hit Ian and the boys head on, pushing them right off the road.

They were airlifted to hospital by the Great North Air Ambulance where they were all admitted into critical care and faced a long journey to recovery. The brothers were in hospital for three weeks and Ian for four weeks.

Whitehaven News: Lisa before she set off on her marathon!Lisa before she set off on her marathon! (Image: Supplied)

The three sustained a number of physical and mental injuries; Ian broke both of his legs and had significant facial damage. In addition, he broke his left knee, a big toe, a finger on his left hand, and suffered lacerations to his hand and arm. Some of Ian's surgeries to rebuild his legs lasted up to 12 hours.

Furthermore, Jack shattered both of his wrists, damaged his lung, and snapped his femur, while Harry broke his shoulder, fractured his pelvis, and had a bleed to his spleen.

Ms McCrickard said: “Within the last six to nine months, they've started doing really well. It took us a long time to be able to get my youngest son Harry mental help because living in Cumbria there's nothing available.

“Jack needs another operation, because at the minute he's got one leg slightly longer than the other from one of the legs he broke.

“Ian's progression has been going really well and he’s back cycling again. They told him that he'd never be able to get on a bike again, but he’s been out cycling 100 miles.”

As previously envisioned when thinking about the marathon, which she finished in six hours, Ms McCrickard's motivation was her family. She said: "My husband Ian and two boys surprised me at mile 17 then again at mile 20!

"I didn't think I could do it but seeing them pushed me on."

Ms McCrickard's son Harry, climbed over the barrier so he could cross the line alongside his mother. Lisa said: "It was amazing to finally cross the line, especially with my youngest son Harry."

On the vital service that saved her family, she said: "The GNAAS are running in deficit this time of year, and we know these charities are needed as and when.

"If people don’t keep raising money for them, we might not have them."

You can donate here.