He sat there, holding his little brother as he bawled and asked why their mum wasn’t opening her eyes.
But even he wasn’t sure what to do. The one thing he was sure about? He was the only one that could save her. So, he reached out and grabbed the most unexpected object.
Josh was like any 5-year-old. He liked school, but mostly recess. Last year it was a love of cardboard forts, but now it was an obsession with cars and trucks.
This afternoon was extra special because his brother was watching TV and mum could play with just him. But there was one, small condition.
Today, they had to play in the kitchen because his mum was busy.
He “vroomed” his truck along the tile floor and watched her go from chopping yucky vegetables to helping him build his imaginary world of half-cars and half-sharks. But then Josh noticed something weird.
His mum slouched against the counter like she was tired. Maybe she needed a nap?
Maybe she could drink more of that black stuff that all the grownups loved but tasted horrible. Josh knew he needed to sit down when he spun around too much. Then, he remembered her big “problem.”
Josh understood she was sick with “die bees tee” and would have to eat candy sometimes.
Maybe she needed her candies now? He wished he could have sweets whenever he wanted. He was about to ask her for some when he saw her slide to the floor and close her eyes.
“Mummy?” he asked, scrambling over to her. “Mummy, wake up!”
Yes, she needed her special candy right away! He ran to the cupboard but couldn’t find anything. She would sometimes use needles, but those were scary and he wasn’t allowed to touch them. All of a sudden, his brother came in and screamed.
They both tried to shake her to wake her up, but she wouldn’t open her eyes.
Even he knew this was very bad. He was the oldest brother. He had to do something. Josh looked around the room for anything that could help. What he did next would shock even the police.
He stared at his sick mum and tried to comfort his bawling brother.
There was no medicine, no candy, and no adults to help them. Part of him wanted to cry too, but then he remembered something important. He had his own doctor’s kit! Josh rushed to get it.
He dumped everything on the floor. The needle had nothing in it. The thing you used to listen to the heart didn’t work.
He tried each toy one by one, but she didn’t wake up and his heart started to beat faster. Then, in the middle of the counter, he saw something better. It had to work!
He saw his mum’s phone. He wasn’t allowed to touch it and had never used one before, but he knew that if you pressed numbers, you could talk to someone.
What the world would find out later … it wasn’t 911 he dialed. It was a number that nearly no one used or knew existed.
He looked at his collection of toys and cars. One of his favorites was the ambulance. That’s exactly what he needed!
But how would he call one? Then something incredible happened. Josh looked closer and saw numbers painted on the side of his toy. He picked up the phone and dialed the digits.
A voice on the other end said, “112, what’s your emergency?”
The rest of the story fell magically in place. Josh stayed calm through the entire process, giving them his address and waiting until help arrived. By the time his mum opened her eyes, she was surrounded by paramedics … and toys. But that’s not all.
Normally she was good at watching her levels, but the episode snuck up on her and she had slipped into a diabetic coma.
She listened in amazement as the first responders explained what had happened. It turns out that 112 is the single European emergency number. Next, the police stepped in.
Not only were they impressed with his calm and clever reaction, but the entire string of emergency services was stunned by everything that had happened.
A five-year-old had literally used his toy to save his mum’s life. The local police invited him to spend the day at their station.
He got to sit in a bunch of vehicles and even turn on the siren. There were plenty of photos and praise, not to mention a proud mother. T
he officers say the young boy has the makings of an excellent police officer. They plan on watching him grow and hopefully offering him a job in the future.
