A LLANELLI woman claims she would have died if it was not for the town's ''threatened'' accident and emergency service.

Yolande Hopkins, of Llys Alys, went into anaphylactic shock last week when she accidentally ate a sweet containing gelatine, which she is allergic to.

The 31-year-old was rushed to hospital when she began struggling to breathe.

Her husband Geraint, 56, said time was an essential factor in his wife's survival.

He said: "Yolande was using the computer when she ate a sweet from a pick and mix bag.

"We don't know how this particular sweet got in there, as we're very careful, but her throat started to close up immediately.

Emergencies

"She used an Epipen (an auto-injector for allergic emergencies) but that showed no signs of working so we jumped in the car.

"I was going to drive straight to the hospital, but I thought I was running out of time, so I drove to the ambulance station as it's not far from our house.

"The paramedics gave her injections and oxygen before rushing her to hospital, in the ambulance she was struggling to breathe and in agony.

"I honestly thought she was going to die — I've seen her go into shock before, but nothing like that."

Mr Hopkins believes the emergency treatment his wife received at Llanelli's A&E department saved her life.

"They were fantastic," he said.

"It made me wonder, if it was closed and we had to go all the way to Glangwili Hospital, then I would have probably lost my wife.

"It scared me as this could happen to anyone in the town — maybe a child — and within minutes they could be dead."

Fresh concerns have surfaced recently over the future of Prince Philip Hospital's A&E services, after a leaked document forecast it was in line for the axe.

Mrs Hopkins said she was in no doubt that if she had had to travel to Glangwili, then she would have died.

She added: "The distance between Carmarthen and Llanelli is the difference between life and death. We have to protect our services and start fighting now to keep them here."

Campaigners vow to fight for hospital — see page 2.