A young boy from Newark in Nottinghamshire received a bravery award from EMAS for rushing to his mum’s aid after she had a seizure.
Nine-year-old Harrison Teague was at home with his mum, Claire, when he discovered she was unconscious and starting to shake violently in the early hours of 6 September 2023.
Although there was no other adult around during this medical emergency, and confronted with a frightening situation, Harrison took the right action by quickly calling 999 to request an ambulance.
Harrison said: “I thought mum was playing a prank or something was very wrong.
I didn’t know my nanna’s phone number so even though I was scared to call 999, I knew it was the only option in an emergency like this.
“I had never had to call 999 ever before in my life until that day.
“I just knew they’d be able to help, and I felt relieved when the ambulance crew turned up.”
Harrison’s call was answered by 999 Emergency Medical Advisor Nathan Wood.
Nathan said: “Most people in the same situation as Harrison would not have been so calm and collected as he was.
“We usually only get to hear people’s voices so having the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the people I’ve helped over the phone is really special.”
During the call, Nathan advised Harrison to lay Claire flat on her back and to make sure the door was unlocked so the crew could enter as soon as they arrived at the property to start the necessary emergency treatment.
Arriving on scene were the ambulance crew of paramedic Tracey Smith and Technician Loretta-Marie Ryan.
Tracey said: “Harrison did everything he needed to before we arrived.
“When there is a child on scene you do worry because we have a responsibility to ensure they are also looked after, particularly if we need to transport their parent to hospital. In a sense, this can make the child your second patient on scene.
“However, Harrison was just brilliant. He was able to unlock his mum’s phone to call his nanna to make her aware of what happened so she could come and look after him while we took his mum to hospital.”
Loretta added: “Harrison was really, really brave and was able to explain to us that his mum had what appeared to be a seizure.
“While he was clearly upset, he managed to stay calm to bring us up to speed with what happened and where his mum was in the house so we could begin helping her.
“Claire became more stable and was able to walk out of the house and into the ambulance, and you could clearly see the relief on Harrison’s face. He gave her a big hug before we took her to hospital, and it was lovely for us to witness such a good outcome.”
Claire, who had never experienced a seizure before or since that day, was taken to Kings Mill Hospital for further observations and tests.
Claire said: “I had a CT scan which came back normal and I’m waiting for the results back on the MRI scan I also underwent to help get to the bottom of what happened.
“All I can remember from that morning is waking up to two ambulance medics in my bedroom.
“I’m so proud of Harrison for being able to get the help I needed, and he is so deserving of this award and recognition for his actions.
Tracey Smith shows Harrison Teague his heart rate in the back of our ambulance.