A young girl from Corby has been praised for her remarkable bravery after calling 999 and caring for her younger brother when her mum suffered a seizure and fell down the stairs.
On Friday 2 May, she was presented with a bravery award from the crew who attended to her mum back in February after she was nominated by them for her brave actions.
Seven year old Jessica Davison was at home with her mum Rhian, 31 and two year old brother Brody on what started as an ordinary day. Rhian had been feeling a little under the weather with a cold but didn’t think much of it.
“I didn’t feel too bad,” she said. “Jessica was watching TV and Brody was having a nap on the sofa. I started to feel hot and thought I might be sick, so I went upstairs to the toilet. I vomited and that’s when everything went blank.”
Rhian had suffered a seizure at the top of the stairs which caused her to fall. When she came round, she was lying on the floor at the bottom of the stairs.
Jessica had heard banging sounds and went to check on her mum. She found her unconscious and shaking and immediately remembered the conversation they’d had about what to do in an emergency. She found her mum’s phone and dialled 999.
The call was taken by Emergency Medical Advisor Sophie Dennett, who calmly guided Jessica through what to do.
While on the phone, Rhian experienced another seizure and it is believed that she had multiple seizures during this time.
However, Jessica stayed calm and brave throughout the call, listening clearly to the instructions given by Sophie and unlocking the door so that the crew of paramedic Kiya Wood and emergency care assistant Kathleen Rule could access the house when they arrived.
Kiya and Kathleen arrived swiftly at the scene where they were met by Jessica who explained what had happened. They worked to stabilise Rhian and transported her to Kettering General Hospital.
“Jessica is honestly my hero,” said Rhian. “While she was waiting for the ambulance, Brody woke up upset and confused. Jessica took him into the living room and played with him to keep him distracted. She took care of him and me at the same time. I’m so incredibly proud of her.
“It’s hard to put into words the guilt I feel,” she shared. “While I’m bursting with pride, there’s a huge amount of guilt that my little girl had to go through that, that she had to be the one protecting me. But she was amazing.”
Jessica later told her mum that she had been scared but remembered what to do. “She said she found me on the floor with my eyes closed, and she knew to call 999. She told me that calling 999 doesn’t have to be scary, it can help.”
Kiya said:
“It has been so nice to see Jessica and her mum Rhian under different circumstances and go through what happened on the day with them. To be able to present this award to her was really great after she did such a brave thing."
Jessica’s mum wants other parents to know just how important it is to talk to children about what to do in an emergency.
“We’d had a few conversations about what to do if mummy had a seizure, and I’m so glad we did. I truly believe it saved my life. Please talk to your children. It can make all the difference.”
Want to teach your children what to do in an emergency? Head to the children's resources area of our website where you can find our Children's Activity Pack, full of information on what the ambulance service do and how to deal with an emergency situation.
Jessica’s courage, quick thinking and care for both her mum and brother make her a true young hero.