Cannock asthma attack boy, 9, thanks life-savers
A nine-year-old boy from Cannock who suffered a serious asthma attack has been reunited with the paramedics who saved his life.
Kai Brookes had the attack at his home last September and ambulance crews found him in cardiac arrest.
They carried out advanced life support techniques and eventually managed to fully resuscitate the St Luke's Primary School pupil before taking him to the children's ward at Stafford Hospital.
He suffered a second cardiac arrest in hospital, but again was stabilised and transferred to a specialist unit at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, where he spent two days in a drug-induced coma.
His mother, Emma Sleigh-Brookes said: "I remember Kai coming into my bedroom and collapsing on the bed. I immediately dialled 999 and the call taker gave us CPR instructions over the phone, which my partner Matt commenced.
"I felt totally helpless, and although I knew Kai was seriously ill, on the paramedics' arrival I felt such a sense of relief knowing he was now in safe hands.
"I was so relieved when Kai was sat up talking in the ambulance. Everyone had worked so hard to save Kai, and I remember thinking I didn't want the ambulance crew to leave us.
"I had built up such an overwhelming amount of trust with the ambulance crews in such a short amount of time."
Kai was invited to Stafford Ambulance Station with his mother and stepfather to meet with the 999 call taker and some of the staff who attended to him. He was shown around the emergency operations centre and had a look around an ambulance.
Matt Harrison, clinical team mentor and paramedic, said: "It's excellent to see that Kai is doing so well. This was truly was a life-threatening 999 call for the service. It was a real team effort for everyone involved, from those who took and dispatched the call in control to the role of each and every member of road staff that attended to Kai that day.
"Incidents like this are what the ambulance service is here for. Unfortunately not every call we attend to always has such a happy outcome, but to see Kai again, full of life and so well, is amazing. This incident really does highlight that anyone of any age can suffer a cardiac arrest."
West Midlands Ambulance Service runs HeartStart courses, which include CPR. To find out more, call 01785 237341.
