An eight-year-old boy has been hailed a hero for saving his mother’s life by calling 999 and arranging an ambulance for her following a deadly allergic reaction.
Ryan Reid called paramedics after noticing his mother Alicia, 27, was experiencing a serious case of anaphylaxis, leaving her unable to speak or breathe.
The woman, from Kidderminster, had suffered the severe allergic reaction after being prescribed a new antibiotic by her GP, who had incorrectly diagnosed her stomach pains as a UTI.
The mother-of-two said she felt herself falling unconscious and her skin had turned scarlet red when Ryan noticed something was wrong.
Instead of panicking, the schoolboy calmly rang 999, providing them with the right postcode and address.
She called her husband to try and guide Ryan through the process but admitted he did not need it.
Mrs Reid said: ‘It was just after lunch, I went to the pharmacy to get these antibiotics, the kids wanted to watch a film. I put the film on and took the antibiotics.
‘Five minutes after I needed the inhaler, 10 minutes after I was really struggling. I was wheezing, I usually control it with my inhaler. I had my pink steroid inhaler as the blue wasn’t working.
‘It just kept getting worse. I had an itchy throat. Ryan kept asking if I was ok. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t ok.
‘I was going into a panic, I just kept taking it. Ryan asked again and I just shook my head as I couldn’t talk. I just couldn’t get any words out, it was like a wheeze.
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‘If I was on my own, I would have no idea. The boys were on holiday the week before, I am so grateful they were there.’
The relieved mother added: ‘If he was panicking he wasn’t showing it. I was kind of panicking. My phone was on the sofa and I rang my husband but I couldn’t talk to him and Ryan had both phones in his hands.
‘He told his dad that he called an ambulance as I couldn’t breathe. The call handler asked him all the questions, and he knew all the answers. He knew our address and postcode which I was shocked at.’
‘I’ve taught him from the age of four or five in case I have an asthma attack to phone 999 if you need to’
Mrs Reid said Ryan did not need any help when calling 999 and said she was shocked at how many details he knew.
She said: ‘My husband didn’t need to be on the phone, Ryan was that good. He knew how old I was.
‘Usually he’s a very anxious little boy, quiet and shy. I don’t know how he did it as I know I would’ve panicked.
‘He let the ambulance crew where my inhalers were, my name, he just basically let them know everything.
‘I tried to point to the antibiotic, he picked them up and said that I had one of those.
‘He saved my life. I know while he was on the phone, I was sat on the phone trying to get as much breath as I possibly could. I could feel it getting harder. I felt my knees going on the floor. If the paramedics didn’t come when they did I would’ve passed out.
‘I was scarlet red when I came in. My whole body was red. Him seeing me like that didn’t scare him. I felt like my lips had really swollen.
‘I’m extremely proud, he’s quite mature. I’ve taught him from the age of four or five in case I have an asthma attack to phone 999 if you need to.’
