FIVE-year-old Elisha Carline’s actions when her epileptic mum had a seizure have been hailed as ‘life-saving’.
The youngster bravely picked up the phone when she realised the severity of the seizure mum Emma Hughes was having - calling Emma’s friend to come to her aid - when she collapsed at home last Monday morning.
Emma was then taken into an ambulance and treated at hospital.
“I was struggling to breathe, and the room started to spin,” said Emma, 29, of Hope Avenue, Goldthorpe.
“I’ve had a chest infection and a blood infection, which apparently makes the fit worse.
“My memory’s quite bad at the minute. I can’t remember much, but she’d managed to get hold of the phone and get my friend to come around.
“As I was getting into the ambulance, I saw Elisha sat downstairs tidying up for me, and she opened the door for me.
“For a five-year-old I just think it’s amazing.
“Not many adults can cope when someone is having a fit.”
It’s apparently not the first time Goldthorpe Primary School student Elisha has come to Emma’s rescue.
“I woke up once after I’d gone to sleep on the living room floor,” said Emma.
“And I don’t know how she’d done it, but I woke up under a blanket on the sofa.”
While epilepsy sufferers will generally be able to identify certain things that trigger seizures, Emma’s sudden fits can take her by surprise - given she was only diagnosed three years ago after a year of back-and-forth with doctors.
Family members of those with the condition are also advised on how they can help in the event of a seizure.
“I hadn’t had one for two weeks,” said Emma.
“But my tablets are not quite working and I’m still trying different ones.
Elisha’s dad Liam, 33 - who works as a plumber and was out of the house at the time - said he’s looking at becoming a carer so he can properly support Emma with the condition.
But at least she’s seemingly in safe, albeit quite small, hands in the event of an emergency.
Stuart Knight, Goldthorpe headteacher, said: “We’re so proud of Elisha.
“Her mum was in the house with her, on her own.
“To phone a family friend and say her mum’s not very well and needs some help - it’s quite remarkable.
“We think it’s amazing that a five-year-old had the common sense to get in touch with somebody for help.
“It turned out that her mum needed to be hospitalised as she’d been having a fit for more than five minutes.
“Elisha’s actions saved her life.”
