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'Daddy is sick': Boy, 8, praised for 999 call

Veronica Wallace
BBC News, North East and Cumbria
North East Ambulance Service Tyler, who is eight years old, stood beside two emergency care assistants, one man and one woman. They are pictured smiling in green NHS work uniform. Tyler, in a blue sweatshirt, is pictured holding his certificate of recognition for the call he made to 999 during his father's diabetic attack.North East Ambulance Service
Ambulance workers praised Tyler's efforts as "brave" and "extremely mature"

An eight-year-old boy who saved his dad's life by calling 999 after seeing him collapse has been praised by an ambulance service.

Father-of-two Jamie, from County Durham, was at home with his children when he started experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis and slipped into a coma.

After finding his father unconscious, Tyler took Jamie's phone, dialled 999 and told call handlers: "Daddy is sick."

Tyler has now been reunited with the ambulance crew which came to his aid and received a certificate of recognition for his actions.

Diabetic ketoacidosis is caused by a lack of insulin which causes harmful substances called ketones to build up in the blood.

Thankfully, Jamie had prepared his children for this potentially deadly situation.

North East Ambulance Service A male emergency service worker and female emergency service worker facing Tyler, who is 8 years old, outside. The workers are pictured in green NHS uniforms while Tyler is pictured wearing a blue sweatshirt.North East Ambulance Service
Tyler also took responsibility for calming his younger sister while on the phone with emergency services

Paramedic Annie O'Sullivan was one of the workers who arrived on the scene.

She said: "I had a little chat with Tyler, asking him how long his daddy had been unwell and how he knew what to do if dad was poorly.

"He said that his dad had told him what to do."

Tyler kept his distressed four-year-old sister calm as he spoke to the call handler.

Ms O'Sullivan welcomed the reunion, saying: "It feels nice to be reunited with Jamie and Tyler, it's rare that we can follow up patients due to the nature of the job."

Tyler's mother Sam said it had been a way to "thank the crew and call handler".

"I can imagine that wouldn't have been an easy call," she said.

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