'They saved my life': 'Girl, 9, and 11-year-old brother praised after saving mother from cardiac arrest

Oliver and Arianna Liddle were shocked to find their mother, Donna, lying unresponsive on the floor of their Aberdeen home earlier this year after she suffered a cardiac arrest.

Arianna, nine, dialled 999 and asked call handler Declan Cowan, from the West Ambulance Control Centre (ACC), for help while Oliver, 11, put his mother in the recovery position.

Several ambulance staff were dispatched by Katrina Oag, of North ACC, with the first arriving on the scene within six minutes of the call being made.

Mrs Liddle said: “My husband and I are extremely proud of our children. Without a shadow of doubt, they saved my life. They were faced with a traumatic situation a lot of adults would struggle with.”

The family visited Aberdeen Ambulance Station to meet some of the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) staff who attended, including paramedic Monica Hurley; Gregor Mcintosh, from the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service (EMRS) North team; technician John McCook; and James McAulay, another paramedic.

Dr David Connor, a consultant in pre-hospital medicine with EMRS North, also attended the incident. Oliver and Arianna were presented with special certificates and SAS teddies for their quick thinking and bravery.

Mrs Liddle said: “I was at home alone with my two children – my husband was in London with work. We were about to leave for school, I was brushing my teeth and my daughter came to look for me finding me on the floor unresponsive.

“She screamed for her brother to come and help. Arianna called 999 whilst Oliver tried to put me into the recovery position. Oliver also spoke to the call handler whilst my daughter ran across the road to get our neighbours.

“She felt immediate help was needed as I had turned blue and was not breathing. My neighbours started giving me CPR before the emergency services arrived.”

Once the ambulance staff arrived, the CPR was continued and Mrs Liddle was given three defibrillation shocks, which successfully restarted her heart. The team transferred her to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary where she spent 15 nights in hospital.

Mrs Liddle said her recovery was going well and she has been fitted with an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator that should work to pace her heart out of a fatal arrhythmia if it occurs again and deliver a shock if this fails to work.

“The survival statistics of a cardiac arrest are low, and I feel very grateful to be here to tell the tale,” she said. “We cannot believe the kindness and compassion the SAS staff demonstrated. The kids are delighted with the certificates.”

Ms Hurley said: “We’re so pleased to see Donna has made such a good recovery. The brave actions of her children saved her life that day – early intervention is critical in out of hospital cardiac arrests. It was wonderful to see Donna and her children again. I felt emotional myself when they were getting their certificates.

“The children really did remain so calm throughout the whole incident. I’ll never forget the hug I got from the children after we got her heart beating back to a sustainable rhythm and we could tell them their mum is in a stable condition thanks to the help of the trauma team.”

Mrs Liddle is now aiming to raise £10,000 for the NHS Grampian Charity’s Cardiology Fund, with support from her children’s school friends. She is hosting a ticketed dinner on March 7 in Aberdeen.

Mrs Liddle has also volunteered to go to her children’s school to teach CPR.