This is the adorable audio recording of a brave four-year-old calmly called 999 as her mum suffered a fit – having fitted three earlier the same day.
Little Kaitlyn Wright kept calm on the phone to a 999 operator, as mum Charlene, 33, had a fit that lasted for almost five minutes.
Kaitlyn told the call operator: “Mummy is having a fit, so I need to look after her.”
The “grown-up little girl” has been commended by the ambulance service for knowing “exactly what to do in an emergency” and stayed on the line until her dad came home.
Kaitlyn was able to tell South West Ambulance Service (SWASFT) call handler Jess Hodkinson, exactly what was wrong during the call on October 27.
She told Jess where they lived, and said her mum’s tongue was “hanging out”and was bleeding – but she made sure her mum was still breathing.
And she was even able to tell Jess that her mum takes medication, which turned out to be for fibromyalgia, and causes Charlene to have up to 40 seizures-a-week.
Adorable Kaitlyn told Jess: “We’re going to a Halloween party, and we don’t want to be late for the Halloween party.”
Kaitlyn, Charlene, and dad Simon Cooper made a special visit to the SWASFT Control Centre, near Bristol, on November 30.
And Kaitlyn was given a certificate to commend her extraordinary bravery, presence of mind, and wisdom beyond her years.
Kaitlyn, from Askerswell, Dorset, said: “I pressed 999, and said my mummy was having a fit.”
When asked for her mum’s age, innocent Kaitlyn told Jess that Charlene, who is 33, was “40, like a parent” – before later telling Jess the names of the family’s kittens.
But Charlene, who thankfully stopped fitting and didn’t need to go to hospital, said: “I’m so proud of Kaitlyn.”
She continued: “At the time I wasn’t really aware of what had happened. I woke up with the paramedics standing over me. I was so happy when I found out what she had done.
“We taught all our children how to make a 999 call, and what to say to the call handler. We got Kaitlyn a pretend Disney phone and practised with it.
“It can be scary when you’re not well. But Kaitlyn makes me feel safe. She’s a star.”
And dad Simon Cooper, who can be heard returning home at the end of Kaitlyn’s call, added: “Kaitlyn is a grown-up little girl who knows exactly what to do in an emergency.
“She is brilliant.”
Jess, who works in the SWASFT Control Centre as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher, said the incident highlighted how vital it is for parents to teach their children what to do in an emergency.
That includes showing the children how to call 999, making sure they know their address, and ensuring they are aware of any known health problems in the family.
Jess said: “Every call is different, and we are taught how to deal with child callers as part of our training. But it is unusual to receive a call from someone so young.
“Kaitlyn was very brave and informative. She obviously knew how to call 999, she told me exactly what was happening, and where she lives.
“She knew exactly what to do in an emergency.”
By Ben Gelblum and Sarah Lumley
