A two-year-old toddler is being hailed a hero after saving her mum’s life by using a mobile phone to call for help.
Mum, Larissa Taylor unexpectedly collapsed next to her eight-month-old daughter’s bed on Thursday and was lying in a way that stopped her from breathing properly. Lia Vega, the heroic toddler, sensed that something was wrong.
She picked up a nearby mobile phone and pressed the call button twice to dial the last number called. That number was her grandmother’s, Bobbie Gonzalez.
“Her mum will call and let her talk to me a lot, but using the phone and calling me on her own, that was new.”
“I was very surprised,” said Bobbie.
Bobbie recalled that Lia said; “Mommy fall down to the floor of sissy’s bed.”
Upon hearing that, Bobbie rushed to her daughter’s side before sending her off to a nearby hospital. Doctors then informed her that Larissa had suffered from several seizures before passing out. Turns out, the young mum was diabetic and hypoglycaemic — her low blood-sugar level had triggered the seizures.
“I don’t know how my daughter knew to call my mum or anything.”
“I never taught her how to use the phone and she saved me that day,” said Larissa in an interview.
The family said doctors told them Larissa would have died had she stayed lying there for more than 10 minutes.
“Without her, I don’t know how long my daughter would have laid there and possibly died. It’s just amazing what kids learn without even being taught,” said the proud grandma.
Larissa now thinks of her eldest daughter as her “superhero.”
“I’ve been calling her my superhero. Because she saved me, she saved my life that day.”
In case of an emergency; dial 911
It seems that good things do come in small packages. Just last year, 3-year-old Jaden Bolli, managed to save his mum’s life by calling 911 when she too, went into a seizure and collapsed.
It does not make it any less remarkable that the toddler was taught how to call 911 in an emergency by his mum just days earlier. Candace Robbins, Jaden’s mum told reports that she taught her son how to call for help.
“I told him; ‘You have to call 9-1-1, hit the green button and tell them that you need help,’ and he said, ‘Okay.’”
Of course, no one could have predicted that only four days later, Jaden would be putting his newfound skills to work.
Teach your kids how to call for help
If there is one thing we can learn from these stories, it is the importance of teaching your kids how to call for help. The first thing that your kids should know is how to dial 999.
They should also know their full name, their full address and to be able to give a short description of the emergency. It is also helpful for your kids to know their phone number as the dispatcher will often ask this question in case the call is disconnected.
Have your kids practice by speaking into the phone while role-playing with them. Suggest situations like; “Mommy’s fallen down the stairs and can’t get to the phone. Now what do you do?”
After your child enters the number, ask them questions that an emergency operator would ask, such as: “What is your name?,” “Where are you calling from?,” and “What is the emergency?”Stress that the description should be short like “Mummy fell down the stairs”, “Daddy is not breathing” or “Mummy’s head is bleeding” and that they should stay calm at all times.
Practice with your kids till they are comfortable with making the phone call. On top of already programming the emergency numbers onto your mobile phone — do write down each phone number clearly so that it will be easy for young kids to read.
Because accidents can and do happen in any part of the home; make copies of the completed list and post one near every telephone in the house and on the refrigerator.
No one wants to think about an emergency happening at home, but it’s better to face that possibility than to be caught unprepared. So teach your kids how to call for help and do keep emergency numbers close.
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Source: Dailymail.co.uk , Ablocal.go.com , Kidshealth.com
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