'I'm so proud of her' - Brave schoolgirl, 7, helps save mother's life with 999 call


A 7-year-old has been praised for saving her mother's life by speaking to emergency services when an asthma attack left her mother struggling to breathe.

Katherine Holified was driving along the A449 in Monmouthshire with her daughter Isla when she began to have breathing difficulties, forcing her to pull into a layby.

The 37-year-old, who suffers from brittle asthma, called 999 but her condition left her unable to tell operators where the pair were.

Using a special location app called what3words, the Welsh Ambulance operator was able to locate Katherine and her daughter.

As her mother's condition worsened, Isla then bravely took over the call and calmly helped direct the ambulance by describing their car and telling the operator that it had kayaks on the roof.

Isla was given a commendation from the Welsh Ambulance Service for helping save her mother's life Credit: Welsh Ambulance Service

Katherine, who's from Cardiff, said: “We’d spent the day kayaking in Monmouth with friends.“I felt a bit tight-chested when we got off the water but just put it down to the fact we’d been doing quite a bit of strenuous activity.“We’d started to make the journey home but I wasn’t getting any better, I was getting worse.“Recognising it was an asthma attack, I pulled into a layby and got my nebuliser out to try and help.“I’ve had brittle asthma since I was a month-old and have managed it by entire life with inhalers and nebulisers, but this one was especially bad.“In the end, I couldn’t speak at all, and Isla said: ‘Mummy, is this when I need to call 999?’”

The extraordinary call was taken by Madison Vickery, who is based in the Trust's Clinical Contact Centre in Carmarthenshire.

"Isla was so lovely and hugely helpful in answering the questions and passing on information," she said.

Katherine and Isla were taken to the Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran but is now recovering at home.

This week the pair met call handler Madison in person to offer their thanks with Isla being presented with a commendation for her bravery.

Katherine said: “I can’t thank the ambulance service enough for what they did that day.“They didn’t just see me as the patient – they treated Isla like a patient too, making sure she was cared for at all times."


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