A 4-year-old Northland boy has been hailed a "hero" for alerting emergency services after his mother suffered a seizure and fell unconscious last month.
Asher Kessell dialled emergency services on February 27 after his mother, Rue, collapsed at their Matapouri home, about 36km northeast of Whangārei.
During the call, Asher told police communicator George Nichols: "My mum flake out. Mum need a doctor."
He provided his name and home address, confirmed his mother was unconscious, and stayed on the line while following instructions from the Christchurch Emergency Communications and Dispatch Centre.
An ambulance was dispatched while Nichols was also able to contact Asher’s father, Alan, who was at work nearby.
Throughout the call, Asher checked whether his mother was breathing, attempted to wake her, and answered questions about who else was at home, saying there were "two dogs and two kitty cats at my home".
When Alan arrived minutes later, he found Asher sitting on the bed beside his mother with the phone still in his hand.
"She was still breathing but didn’t look that good," Alan said.
"It wasn’t long before the ambulance arrived and took over."
Rue started teaching Asher how to use her cell phone to dial 111 last November, including what to do when someone answered the phone.
"Obviously he took it onboard, but you never know with a four-year-old. One minute he’s Spiderman and the next he’s another superhero," she said.
"We taught him to dial 111 and when the person answered to say his name, where he lives and the house number. It worked. Now he’s our superhero."
The outcome could have been very different had it not been for Asher's quick thinking, she added.
"I’m so thankful for Asher. I’m having tests to work out what these seizures are."
Nichols said he was "astounded" by Asher's calmness and that his parents should be very proud.
"It could have been a very different call if he hadn’t held himself the way he did. He really surprised me with how well he handled everything. The way he answered questions and checked on his mum was in a class of its own."
School Community Officer Senior Constable Darron Goodwin visited the family this week to acknowledge Asher’s actions, presenting him with a certificate naming him a “superhero”, along with a soft police dog toy and stickers.
"Asher recognised something was wrong, called for help and stayed on the line," Goodwin said.
"That’s outstanding for a four-year-old."
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