Girl in princess dress told her teacher 'I can't wake mummy up'

A little girl helped save her collapsed mum's life by going to school and raising the alarm.

Five-year-old Poppy Davies bravely left her home in Pontllanfraith, near Blackwood in South Wales dressed in a princess outfit and wellies, to seek help from her school when she couldn't wake her mum. She calmly told one of her teachers: "Mummy's on the floor and I can't wake her up."

Her story is being shared across the country to raise awareness of septic shock. Poppy's mum, 35-year-old Leisha Davies, was unconscious at their home, battling for her life after suffering the condition. The night before, she had collapsed, but her young daughter stayed by her side until morning before alerting staff at Pontllanfraith Primary School.

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In the lead up to January 18, Leisha had undergone surgery for a twisted bowel. Since returning to work, she had been feeling unwell, with swelling in her legs and face.

On that fateful night, her husband Ryan was working a night shift, leaving just Leisha and Poppy at home.

The last thing the mental health worker recalls is seeing Poppy dancing around in her princess dress before she lost consciousness.

Leisha shared: "My daughter spent the whole night with me, she didn't know what to do. In the morning on the 19th, she was in her princess dress, got her wellies on and her little crown. She unlocked my front door and walked to the school gate right by my house. She went into the schoolroom and told the teacher 'Mummy's on the floor and I can't wake her up'."

Two of Poppy's teachers attended the house and found Leisha on the floor, before putting her in the recovery position and calling an ambulance. Poppy was dressed into her uniform and taken to school as paramedics fought to save her mother's life. An air ambulance landed on the school grounds but Leisha required equipment to keep her alive which would not have fitted in the aircraft.

She was taken to Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran where it was discovered she was in septic shock and only operating with 15% of one lung working. Leisha was placed in an induced coma after arresting twice. Her consultant, David Hepburn, said Leisha required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment and she was moved to Bristol Royal Infirmary.

Leisha said she has no memories from this time but was experiencing vivid and scary dreams, reports Wales Online.

She was rushed off to Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran where they determined she was in septic shock and surviving on just 15% function of one lung. After experiencing two cardiac arrests, Leisha was put into an induced coma.

Her attending consultant, Dr David Hepburn, said Leisha would require extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment and she was then relocated to Bristol Royal Infirmary.

Initially, it was feared that Leisha would require amputations around the knee on both legs. However, the prognosis now suggests that half of each foot will need to be removed due to necrosis.

She has expressed her gratitude to Poppy for saving her life, as well as to the staff at the Grange who cared for her.

She said: ""I always say to (Poppy) 'You're my hero, you saved mummy's life. ' She liked it when I said that and the nurses bought her a cape which was lovely.

"The staff at the Grange were absolutely phenomenal, I couldn't fault anyone.

"I want to send out a message that if anybody feels unwell, get it sorted.

"I never thought Sepsis was bad, I thought it was just an infection, but septic shock is life threatening and a lot of people don't recover from it."

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