Ayr mum 'proud' of life-saving four-year-old son

A proud Ayr mum insists her four-year-old son Joshua doesn’t fully grasp the magnitude of his life-saving heroics after he phoned 999 when she was having an asthma attack.

Katie Miller was at home with Joshua when she began to get into difficulty breathing.

With Katie unable to speak, quick-thinking Joshua – who was joined by his younger sister Abbie, 3, - immediately knew to call emergency services, jumping into action and phoning an ambulance.

He has now been given a certificate of commendation from the Scottish Ambulance Service as well as getting a tour of the Ayr Station.

Katie said: ““Joshua took control straight away and knew what to do. It did take him a few moments to get his confidence but once he had it, he was amazing.

“There are not enough words to describe how proud we are of him, and we have been enjoying, with family and friends, celebrating what he did that day.

“He also got a certificate from nursery as well for his braveness.

“He probably doesn't really understand what he has done or how big it is, but we will continue to celebrate as he gets older.”

The composed youngster spoke to the call handler, and an ambulance crew staffed by Paramedic Marta Pabian, of Ayr Station and Technician Kyle Burns, of Kilmarnock Station, were dispatched.

Katie said when the crew arrived, they couldn’t have been friendlier to both her children while still giving her the best possible care. After the crew provided treatment at home, she was transported to Ayr Hospital and discharged the following day.

She added: “Marta and Kyle were superstars on the day and very much walked into our house like friends, which brought a sense of calm and the trust to the kids. Marta had to phone my husband, Jamie, at work as I was home alone with the kids and then when I required to have a canula put in, Kyle went and played with the kids in another room, so they were not there when this took place.”

Katie said another good thing to come out of this incident, which happened on December 29 last year, was the number of her friends who were now speaking to their kids about phoning 999 in an emergency.

Kyle said: “Both Joshua and Abbie were brilliant on the day, keeping nice and calm when we arrived. It was lovely to see the family again in better circumstances and to show the family around Ayr Station where both Marta and I were more than happy to present Joshua with his certificate in recognition of his bravery.

"Its important children understand how to call for help and what emergency service is needed. Joshua knew exactly who was needed and did an outstanding job."

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