Mom 'panicked' when she couldn't find her inhaler during a severe asthma attack — her 4-yr-old saved the day
It can be scary to encounter an emergency when you are alone or with a dependent, such as a senior citizen or child. For a 35-year-old mom, Katie Miller, things were seriously worrisome when she suffered a severe asthma attack, per The Scottish Sun. With only her 4-year-old son Joshua and 3-year-old daughter with her, the mom was panicking when she could not find her inhaler. Her son, however, stepped in supportively and managed to get his mum the help she needed.
Miller recalled getting a severe asthma attack when she was at home alone with her kids. When she could not find her inhaler and got speechless due to the attack, she started freaking out. She dialed 999 but being unable to speak, handed the phone to her 4-year-old. The boy, who the mom noted to be “extremely shy,” was faced with the task of letting the dispatcher know what went wrong. Miller put the phone on the loudspeaker and Joshua supportively tried his best to speak with the dispatcher. "It felt like 10 minutes, but it was probably just a minute. The call handler spoke to him first just to give him some confidence and then he was able to tell her my name, the first line of our address and that we live in Ayr,” the mom recalled.
The boy managed to put away his shyness after seeing the situation at hand and cooperated with the officer on call. He answered all the questions that helped the emergency services arrive at their home in due time. Despite trying to figure out what was happening, he remained strong and explained the situation to the officer as best as he could with the help of the questions. The boy and his little sister were taken aside so their mum could receive treatment. "He kept really calm and the handler stayed on the phone with him until paramedics arrived. He is such a shy boy, so it's just amazing that he was able to do it. He is a superstar in my eyes,” Miller remarked.
The medic, who arrived at the scene, added, “Joshua saw me and he knew straight away what he needed to do.” Joshua was awarded a “Brave Heart” award by the Scottish Ambulance Service for displaying such responsibility and bravery to manipulate the situation to a much better ending. "Because he is only four, he doesn't really realize what he has done. I think phoning an ambulance can be nerve-wracking enough for an adult in any situation. So for a four-year-old to manage it, it's just massive,” Miller said.
The local ambulance station and the mom are super proud of Joshua for making it through the call despite his young age and shy nature. After her experience, Miller also shared a message with fellow parents: "I think it's so important that other kids are taught the importance of these life-saving skills. It's not until you're in that situation that you realize the importance of it."