This is the moment a ‘hero’ eight-year-old boy saved his mother’s life with a calm call to 999 after she suffered a potentially fatal allergic reaction.
Little 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 mother-of-two had suffered the severe allergic reaction at her home in Kidderminster in August 2023 after being prescribed a new antibiotic by her GP, who had incorrectly diagnosed her stomach pains as UTI.
The audio of the call has now been released, in which the cool-headed schoolboy talks through his mother’s symptoms and gives the call handler her date of birth, address and date of birth.
He tells how his mother isn’t getting any better and that she is getting very hot before saying: ‘She just can’t breathe.’
Little 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 audio of the call has now been released, in which the cool-headed schoolboy talks through his mother’s symptoms and gives the call handler her date of birth, address and date of birth
Alicia said hearing the call back was an emotionally experience as she could not remember what had happened.
‘It just shows how calm he was the whole time. He did brilliantly and we’re obviously very proud,’ she said.
Usually ‘quiet and shy’ Ryan, now aged nine, didn’t need any help during the 999 call with Alicia saying her son had saved her life.
‘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,’ she said.
‘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.
‘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.
‘When he was younger he used ask after nearly every cough if he needed to call 999.
‘It did say in rare cases it can cause an allergic reaction. I’m allergic to that type of antibiotic. The worst thing is that I didn’t even need the antibiotic.’
Instead of panicking, Ryan calmly rang 999, providing them with the right postcode and address
The mother-of-two from Kidderminster, had suffered the severe allergic reaction after being prescribed a new antibiotic by her GP. Pictured: Alicia Reid, with her husband Cameron and their two sons Ryan and Callum
She had called her husband to try and guide Ryan through the process but admitted he did not need it.
Speaking last year, Alicia 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.
‘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.’
She added: ‘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.
Alicia said she was extremely proud of Ryan, adding that ‘he’s quite mature’ for his age. Pictured: Ryan and his younger brother Callum
‘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.’
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: ‘Ryan was amazing staying incredibly calm given how frightening the situation must have been.
‘There is no question that he did the right thing calling us as Alicia’s conditions was potentially very serious indeed.
‘If ever there was an example of why it is important to teach our children how to call for help, this is it. Ryan really is a lifesaver.’
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