St John Ambulance Cymru is proud to announce that Millie-Mae Adams, a former Miss Wales and dedicated medical student, has officially joined the charity as its newest Ambassador.
The appointment marks a poignant “full circle" moment for Adams, who first began her journey into medicine as a St John Ambulance Cymru Cadet. Having dreamt of becoming a doctor since the age of five, Adams credits the charity with providing her with the foundation to pursue a career in healthcare.
"It’s an honour to be an ambassador for St John,"
she said in an interview with Sam Cook for the official St John Ambulance Cymru podcast, Just in Case: Stories from St John. "It formed a really big part of my life growing up – making friends in Cadets and going to my first duty in the Cardiff City Stadium. It taught me a lot of skills that I then took forward into my career as a doctor."
Currently balancing a busy GP placement with her medical studies, Adams is a passionate advocate for the democratisation of life-saving skills. She emphasises that first aid should not be seen as a skill reserved only for professionals, but as a universal responsibility.
"First aid is for everyone, not just for professionals. You make just as much, if not more, of a difference than the professional who arrives. If you're the first on the scene, you can save someone with your bare hands."
Adams knows this importance firsthand. During her first year at university, she encountered an unconscious individual on the street and relied on "muscle memory" developed years prior during her St John training to place them in the recovery position.
As an ambassador, Adams plans to use her platform to address critical contemporary issues, including knife crime. Through her work with organisations like Street Doctors, she highlights the vital role bystanders play in emergencies.
"In those situations where someone has been stabbed, by the time you've left someone to go and find a bleed kit, they may have lost a lot of blood," Adams explained. "I always urge that you can make a lot of difference just with your hands. Don't be afraid to be a first responder and shout for help."
Adams has set ambitious goals for her first year as an ambassador, specifically focusing on reaching younger generations through social media and ensuring first aid training is accessible to Welsh speakers.
"I’d like to spread the message of St John Ambulance in Welsh and reach young people through the Welsh language. Healthcare should be accessible for everyone, and if that means practising in your mother tongue, then that's a bonus."
By utilising short, digestible content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, Adams hopes to break down the "fear factor" associated with medical emergencies and inspire a community of lifesavers across Wales.
Just in Case: Stories from St John is available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, with new episodes set to release every month.
Click the links to listen on Apple Podcasts or to listen on Spotify.
Cyn-Miss Cymru a fyfyrwraig feddygol Millie-Mae Adams yn dychwelyd i'w gwreiddiau fel Llysgennad St John Ambulance Cymru
Mae St John Ambulance Cymru yn falch o gyhoeddi bod Millie-Mae Adams, cyn Miss Cymru a myfyrwraig feddygol ymroddedig, wedi ymuno â'r elusen yn swyddogol fel ei Llysgennad newydd.
Mae'r penodiad yn nodi moment "cylch cyflawn" teimladwy i Adams, a ddechreuodd ei thaith i mewn i feddygaeth fel Cadét St John Ambulance Cymru. Ar ôl breuddwydio am ddod yn feddyg ers pump oed, mae Adams yn rhoi'r clod i'r elusen am roi'r sylfaen iddi ddilyn gyrfa mewn llawdriniaeth.
"Mae'n anrhydedd bod yn llysgennad i St John,"
meddai mewn cyfweliad â Sam Cook ar gyfer podlediad swyddogol St John Ambulance Cymru, Rhag Ofn: Straeon o St John. "Fe ffurfiodd ran fawr iawn o fy mywyd wrth dyfu i fyny – gwneud ffrindiau yn y Cadetiaid a mynd i'm digwyddiad gyntaf yn Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd. Dysgais lawer o sgiliau a gymerais wedyn i mewn i'm gyrfa fel meddyg."
Gan gydbwyso lleoliad prysur fel meddyg teulu â'i hastudiaethau meddygol ar hyn o bryd, mae Adams yn eiriolwr angerddol dros ddemocrateiddio sgiliau achub bywyd. Mae hi'n pwysleisio na ddylid gweld cymorth cyntaf fel sgil sydd wedi'i neilltuo ar gyfer gweithwyr proffesiynol yn unig, ond fel cyfrifoldeb cyffredinol.
"Mae cymorth cyntaf i bawb, nid dim ond i weithwyr proffesiynol. Rydych chi'n gwneud cymaint o wahaniaeth, os nad mwy, na'r gweithiwr proffesiynol sy'n cyrraedd. Os mai chi yw'r cyntaf i gyrraedd, gallwch chi achub rhywun â'ch dwylo noeth."
Mae Adams yn gwybod y pwysigrwydd hwn yn uniongyrchol. Yn ystod ei blwyddyn gyntaf yn y brifysgol, daeth ar draws unigolyn anymwybodol ar y stryd a dibynnodd ar ei "gof cyhyrau" a ddatblygwyd flynyddoedd ynghynt yn ystod ei hyfforddiant St John i'w rhoi yn y safle adfer.
Fel llysgennad, mae Adams yn bwriadu defnyddio ei llwyfan i fynd i'r afael â materion cyfoes hollbwysig, gan gynnwys troseddau cyllyll. Trwy ei gwaith gyda sefydliadau fel Street Doctors, mae hi'n tynnu sylw at y rôl hanfodol y mae'r cyhoedd yn ei chwarae mewn argyfyngau.
"Yn sefyllfaoedd lle mae rhywun wedi cael ei drywanu, erbyn i chi adael rhywun i fynd i ddod o hyd i becyn gwaedu, efallai eu bod wedi colli llawer o waed," eglurodd Adams. "Rwyf bob amser yn annog y gallwch chi wneud llawer o wahaniaeth gyda'ch dwylo yn unig. Peidiwch â bod ofn bod yn ymatebwr cyntaf a gweiddi am gymorth."
Mae Adams wedi gosod nodau uchelgeisiol ar gyfer ei blwyddyn gyntaf fel llysgennad, gan ganolbwyntio'n benodol ar gyrraedd cenedlaethau iau drwy gyfryngau cymdeithasol a sicrhau bod hyfforddiant cymorth cyntaf ar gael i siaradwyr Cymraeg.
"Hoffwn i ledaenu neges Ambiwlans St John yn y Gymraeg a chyrraedd pobl ifanc drwy'r iaith Gymraeg. Dylai gofal iechyd fod yn hygyrch i bawb, ac os yw hynny'n golygu ymarfer yn eich mamiaith, yna mae hynny'n fonws."
Drwy ddefnyddio cynnwys byr, hawdd ei dreulio ar lwyfannau fel TikTok ac Instagram, mae Adams yn gobeithio chwalu'r "ffactor ofn" sy'n gysylltiedig ag argyfyngau meddygol ac ysbrydoli cymuned o achubwyr bywyd ledled Cymru.
Mae Just in Case: Stories from St John ar gael ar bob prif blatfform podlediadau, gan gynnwys Spotify ac Apple Podcasts, gyda phenodau newydd yn cael eu rhyddhau bob mis.
Cliciwch y dolennau i wrando ar Apple Podcasts neu i wrando ar Spotify.