In May this year, Linda and Breyer were having their lunch together. As Linda finished having hers, she got up and collapsed onto the floor.
Breyer, who was five at the time thought her mum was okay at first and just pretending. She quickly realised something wasn’t right after she started gently hitting her mum in the face to try and wake her up and she wasn’t responsive.
Breyer calmy sprang into action knowing her mum is diabetic and called her grandad to tell him what had happened, who immediately called 999. Linda’s blood sugar was dangerously low, and she was minutes away from a hypoglycaemic coma.
Linda says: “My husband, Breyer’s father passed away when Breyer was 18 months old. A year later my mum passed away and it took me a long time to get back on my feet. Being single mum with diabetes and living alone with Breyer, I wanted to make sure that my daughter was prepared and knew what to do if I became poorly.
Linda taught Breyer how to call 999, to memorise their address and how to call her grandad if she was to ever collapse or become unresponsive. The ambulance crew arrived and treated Linda at home with a glucose drip which reversed her blood sugar. She was okay and didn’t need to go to hospital thanks to Breyer’s brave actions.
Linda continues: “I was blown away by my daughter’s bravery, she was only five at the time and remembered what to do in what is a stressful situation. I am so proud of her.”
Breyer went on to win a Character of the Year Award at the World Class Schools Quality Mark Awards in London for her actions that day.
Teaching our children and future generations the right reason to call 999 could save a life – we have had callers as young as four call us because their parent is unconscious.
We are asking parents and guardians to make sure they take five minutes to sit down with their children and explain when to call 999, especially if the adult is not awake. It is important that children know their address and postcode so that if they need to call 999 we can get an ambulance to them as quickly as possible.
Make sure your children know:
- how to call 999
- their home address
- how to open the front door in an emergency
To access all the information your child needs about calling 999 visit – what happens when you call 999.