Sussex boy recognised for his brave actions

A seven-year-old Sussex boy has been praised by South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) for his brave actions in dialling 999 when his dad suffered a diabetic coma at their St Leonards-on-sea home.

Churchwood Community Primary School pupil, Kelsey Kent, raced to his dad Paul’s aid in the middle of the night on 19 July 2013 when he found him collapsed and semi-conscious.

Kelsey, his mum Charlene and Paul, 54, visited Hastings ambulance station on Friday (18 October) where Kelsey was presented with a Chief Executive Commendation certificate for his quick thinking and brave actions.

Ferrari kindly sent car-mad Kelsey a baseball cap, signed by Formula One drivers Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, a carbon-fibre Ferrari photo frame and stickers to congratulate him.

SECAmb Paramedic Practitioner Lee Oldridge who treated Paul, who recovered without the need for hospital treatment, presented Kelsey with his certificate and gifts and showed him round an ambulance.

Kelsey said: “I woke up in the night and saw my dad was lying on the sofa and he didn’t respond to me. I knew immediately there was something wrong and quickly dialled 999.  I kept speaking to the lady on the phone who asked to check his breathing and then I rang the buzzer to open the door and I knew that dad was going to be OK.”

SECAmb Emergency Medical Advisor Amanda Wilson, who took Kelsey’s call said: “Kelsey was able to give all the details we needed, including the address. While Lee was on his way, Kelsey stayed on the phone and he was very chatty and kept going back to check on his dad who had remained unresponsive. In all my 20 years of service I don’t think I have ever spoken to a child that was so knowledgeable about what to do. He is a real credit to his parents.”

Lee said: “When I arrived I found Kelsey very calm and helpful in what must have been a distressing situation for him. To be honest he was calmer than most adults would have been in similar circumstances. He did a great job and I’m sure his parents are very proud of him.”

Paul who has suffered from diabetes for the past 30 years explained that sometimes a diabetic hypo attack occurs suddenly, and he can, particularly during warm weather, quickly deteriorate.

He added: “Kelsey has learned to recognise when I am not well and even suggests to me to do a blood test when he thinks there is a problem. He knows when the reading is below five I need some sugar! We’re very proud of everything he did. We all had a lovely time at the station and thank you to Lee and Amanda for recognising his actions.”