Praise for 7-year-old who raised the alarm when Mum collapsed

A seven-year-old from Hockley in Essex has been awarded a certificate for bravery by the East of England Ambulance Service crew for the bravery she showed when calling 999 when her mum was taken suddenly ill.

Ava raised the alarm to the ambulance service when her Mum, Tiffany, collapsed after she reacted to new medication she was taking.

Ambulance Care Assistant Chi Chow, Ava and Paramedic Jenny White 

She said: “I got up as usual and was making my daughter’s lunch, but I was on new medication and started to feel unwell.

“I said to my daughter: ’Ava, I don’t feel well, you might have to call someone’

“I don’t know what happened next, but Ava called 999 and told them I had fallen and was sleeping.

“She gave our names, her age and our address and told the operator what my heart rate was by looking at my Fitbit.

Ava let the ambulance crew into their flat when they arrived. They then discovered that Tiffany had low blood pressure and was still dizzy.

She was taken to a same-day emergency care unit, where it was determined she was most likely suffering a reaction to her new medication.

Tiffany is now fine and Ava was recently awarded a certificate for her bravery and got to meet the crew again at their base at Southend this week.

Tiffany said: “I’m just so proud and thankful for what Ava did, but she doesn’t really realise quite how important it was that she behaved so calmly and bravely, so it’s nice that the ambulance crew have recognised that with a certificate.”

Paramedic Jenny White, who attended the incident said:

“Ava's calmness and quick actions allowed us to assess and treat her mum quickly before transferring them to the hospital. She demonstrated maturity beyond her age by remaining calm during a stressful situation. She should be very proud of how she managed the situation and we wanted her to know how impressed we were by her.

She was very brave and explained that her mum said she didn't feel well and then wasn't talking to her. Ava did an amazing job helping us, packing a bag for herself with everything she needed, and unlocking her mum's phone for us so we could call her next of kin, and the school, as well as finding Tiffany's medication for us.”