999 call reveals how four-year-old saved mother’s life: ‘I’m just having a bit of my lunch’
A 999 call reveals a four-year-old saving her mother’s life by dialling for help and opening with the line: ‘I’m just having a bit of my lunch’.
Little Mya made the emergency call after she witnessed her mother, Rachel, 25, collapse on the floor.
She had only been taught about 999 at school the week before.
Her mother suffers from a Functional Neurological Disorder, a condition which can cause stroke-like symptoms and seizures.
On the phone to Police Controller Paul Dawes, Mya opens the exchange with “I’m just having a bit of my lunch” when he asks what she’s doing.
She then told him her mother had fallen over and was ‘sleeping’.
Mya, from Hampshire, told him their home address and full names before opening the door to let the police in at around 8pm on October 26.
Rachel, 25, said: “I suffer from an ongoing neurological condition that I have had for about two years.
‘’I don’t have much memory of what happened unfortunately, apart from what police and paramedics told me and a little from what Mya has told me.
“Mya was trying to wake me up but couldn’t. Weirdly enough Mya’s school had just taught them about 999 a week before.
‘’It was perfect timing because she knew exactly what to do.
“I obviously couldn’t remember what she said but when I came round the police and paramedics said Mya had called them.
‘’I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t know she knew how to do that. I said, ‘my four-year-old called you on my phone?’ and they said ‘yeah she did really well’, she was able to say our names and where we lived.
“I’m really, really proud of her. I’m amazed that she was able to do that and that she knew what to say and stayed so calm and didn’t panic.
‘’We spoke to Mya’s school about what she did and she got to stand up in front of her class to tell them what she had done.
“I just want to say a big thank you to the man who answered the phone because he kept her calm and kept her on the phone, sometimes with four-year-olds they can get easily distracted so he did a really good job. I’m so grateful for all the help from the police and paramedics.”
Yesterday, December 20, Mya and Rachel visited the control room in Netley, Hampshire, to meet some of Hampshire’s Police’s Contact Management Team, where she was presented with a certificate for her bravery.
Paul Dawes, 45, said: “For a four-year-old she did so well. I was just doing my job, it was her who was so impressive for such a young girl.
“I have been a controller for 13 years. It can be a rewarding career.
‘’It is tough work but when calls come in like this one and we get a positive outcome, it makes it all worthwhile.”