A little boy from Solihull has been hailed a ‘super star’ for calling 999 after his mum collapsed in the bathroom of their home in February. Tuesday February 3rd started as just an ordinary school day but as 11-year-old George Johnson was getting ready downstairs at his home in Olton, Solihull, he heard something wasn’t quite right upstairs.
When he called his mum and got no reply George became concerned so ran upstairs and found her unconscious on the bathroom floor. George remembered watching a news story about how a little boy had called 999 so immediately picked up the telephone and called the ambulance service.
Rachel Johnson, 45, was at home with George and her four-year-old son Sam when she felt unwell. Rachel said: “I was in the bathroom when all of a sudden I had a very painful headache and must have lost consciousness because the next thing I remember is waking up with George on the phone to the ambulance service.
“He was so mature and was explaining what had happened to me and even helped me to get to the bedroom so that I was more comfortable. He’s always been my hero but now he’s my super hero, he really did save my life that day and we’re all incredibly proud of him.”
Erdington-based Paramedics Naomi Adams and David Pledge were the ambulance crew who responded to the 999 call. Naomi said: “George had got everything covered, whilst we treated Rachel, he was looking after his younger brother and had even called his Nan and Grandad to tell them what had happened so that they could come over and look after them as his dad was away in Ireland at the time. He was so calm and so mature. He was a complete super star.”
Naomi and David took Rachel to Heartlands Hospital as they were concerned with her condition. Rachel was transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham before undergoing surgery for a subarachnoid haemorrhage (bleeding on the surface of the brain). She spent two weeks in hospital and is continuing to recover well.
George, who is a pupil at Lyndon Primary School in Olton, visited Erdington Ambulance Hub with his parents and little brother at the end of May (Thursday 29th May). The family had a tour of the hub and George and Sam explored the back of an ambulance and even got to sit in the drivers’ seat to imagine driving to an emergency.
Naomi and Dave presented George with a Chief Officers Commendation to praise him for looking after his mum. Talking about his visit, George, said: “Sitting in the ambulance was really good and having a look at everything was amazing.”
