A young girl from Kirkby-in-Ashfield received a bravery award from EMAS today for coming to her dad’s rescue when he suffered an epileptic seizure.
Twelve-year-old Lily-Alice Foster discovered her dad, 34-year-old Lawrance, unconscious and fitting on the sofa at her grandparent’s house at 4.15pm on 9 December 2022.
Despite being the only other person in the house and faced with a distressing situation, Lily-Alice remained calm and quickly called 999.
Lily-Alice said: “I saw what was happening and knew immediately that I needed to call 999 because it was an emergency.
“I hadn’t seen my dad have a seizure before so it was quite scary but I just gave the call handler the information that was needed.”
Lily’s emergency call was answered by 999 call taker Christopher Turk.
He said: “Lily was very upset at the start of the phone call, but she was brilliant throughout, doing an excellent job of managing the situation until the ambulance crew arrived and took over.
“While she initially struggled to identify the address of the property, we worked together to locate where they were by asking Lily to look for any letters around the property with any addresses on them.
“In the latter stages of the call, lily was proactive in unlocking the doors to ensure the crew could enter the house straight away upon their arrival.
“It was amazing to meet Lily today in recognition of what she did and she’s got a good head on her shoulders.”
Lawrance had been recovering from a previous head injury he sustained in November 2021, which resulted in him being in a coma for a few months and having a metal plate fitted inside his head.
It was around a month after being discharged from the hospital that he began having seizures.
Lawrance said: “I usually get a warning sign when I’m about to experience a seizure.
“Lily was stopping with me on that day at my parent’s house and it was after my parents went out that I started to feel the symptoms.
“My mouth and throat started to feel furry, and I was also experiencing pain in these regions of my body, followed by spasms in my arms and legs.
“That is when I went to lie down on the sofa as I knew what was about to happen.
“I was devastated that Lily was on her own with me at the time as she had never witnessed me have a seizure before that day, but I am so proud of her at the same time for how she handled the situation.”
First to arrive on scene were ambulance technicians Michael Riviere and Neil Butler, followed by fast response paramedic, Laura Hurst.
Michael said: “She had already got Lawrance into the recovery position, which protected his airway and ultimately saved his life.
“It’s definitely impressive that someone of her age managed to do that.”
Laura added: “It was absolutely brilliant to see her and her family again under happier circumstances.
“Epilepsy is a medical emergency as your brain can be starved of oxygen. Therefore, Lily’s done herself and everybody proud, especially her dad, as she kept him alive.”
The Laverick Award, which recognises children and young adults who have gone above and beyond to help another, is in memory of Nick Laverick – a paramedic team leader who died of cancer on his birthday in September 2013.
