Children's 'quick thinking' praised after 999 call

Secamb Three siblings smile between two ambulance personnel Secamb
Emergency services said the children were 'so brave'

Two children have been praised for calling 999 to get emergency help when their mother fell ill.

South East Coast Ambulance Service said Nyah-Le, aged seven, and five-year-old Leon Junior, called the emergency services when their mum, Dominique, collapsed with abdominal pain in June.

The mother-of-three, from Chatham, Kent, was "drifting in and out of consciousness" when the children raised the alarm.

Gemma Coulson, who was part of the ambulance crew sent to the scene, said: "They showed such maturity during what must have been a really scary situation."

The children's mother described how she had felt unwell earlier in the day and then her condition worsened as she arrived home from picking them up from school.

"I suddenly started to feel excruciating pain and came over faint," she said.

"The next thing I remember is the ambulance crew in our living room."

Medics were met by Leon Junior at the door who led the way to the patient.

“I couldn’t be prouder of them that they knew to call 999 in a situation like that and to get their mummy help," Dominique said.

"They even made sure my youngest was safe in his pram."

Dominique was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital where she was diagnosed with endometriosis, a gynaecological condition that can cause nausea and extreme tiredness.

The ambulance service invited the children for a tour of its emergency operations centre and to look around an ambulance to thank them for "being so brave".

Ms Coulson said meeting the pair, who received certificates in recognition of their actions, was a "special moment".

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