MY KIDS SAVED ME
Siblings’ heroics help mother in emergency
WHEN Aidan Dolphin, 9, found his mother Casey (pictured above) unresponsive and bleeding from the mouth in bed, he raced into action, alerting his sister Hannah, 11.
As he sought help, Hannah searched for a phone to call 000 and get help. Failing to locate one, she sent a message to her father Reuben from her iPad: “Mummy’s unresponsive and bleeding from the mouth.”
Moments later she was back by her mother’s side and found a phone which soon rang.
Queensland Ambulance Service emergency medical dispatcher Christine Phillips was on the line.
The children’s actions helped save their mother’s life.
HANNAH and Aidan Dolphin are two young heroes you’d be lucky to have around in an emergency.
When their mother Casey Dolphin was found unresponsive in their Murphys Creek home on July 4, the pair leapt into action without hesitation.
As Aidan, 9, rode his bike to his grandparents’ home up the road, Hannah, 11, searched for a phone to call 000.
Not immediately finding one, Hannah sent a message to her father Reuben at work from her iPad: “Mummy’s unresponsive and bleeding from the mouth.”
Hitting send, Hannah raced back to her mother and rolled her onto her side.
It was a fateful action and revealed her mother’s mobile phone which began ringing.
On the line was Queensland Ambulance emergency medical dispatcher Christine Phillips.
Under careful guidance, Hannah as calmly as possible answered Mrs Phillips’ questions and delivered the critical piece of information - her home address.
And within minutes of Aidan returning to the home with his grandparents, paramedics arrived and were able to treat Mrs Dolphin before taking her to hospital.
“Hannah was just absolutely amazing. She was quite calm, she gave me fantastic information right from the start which made our job a hell of a lot easier,” Mrs Phillips said.
“Then it was just a matter of getting her to check a few things, keep an eye on mum.
“Aidan also had a part to play supporting Hannah.
“I was really impressed. It’s one of the few calls I can honestly say I was in awe of Hannah. I couldn’t have asked for a better caller to make my job easier.”
Mrs Phillips said more people could learn from Hannah who didn’t hesitate in answering her questions including confirming her address.
For their heroics, the young brother and sister team were yesterday presented with Certificates of Appreciation and Queensland Ambulance Service teddy bears.
The pair was also able to meet Mrs Phillips, and reunite with paramedics Wendy Aitken, Samara Zavattiero and Michelle Halter at the Toowoomba station.
Mr Dolphin said he’d feared the worst on getting the message from Hannah after Casey suffered a brain injury in a serious traffic crash in February this year.
He said they were “extremely proud” of their children.
“It’s something you don’t teach your children every day but it must come instinctively,” he said.