Skye saves sister Payton with first aid tip from TV
A PRIMARY school pupil saved her baby sister’s life using first aid tips she’d picked up watching TV.
Skye Nelson was at home with one-year-old Payton when she heard the toddler choking on a piece of chocolate.
Seeing her baby sister’s lips turning blue, the quick-thinking nine-year-old hauled Payton from her cot and began slapping her back in a bid to dislodge the sweet.
This made Payton sick and she brought up the chocolate – and the massive panic was over.
Now Skye, from Kilwinning, Ayrshire, who was eight at the time of the incident, has been nominated for a young first aid hero of the year award by St Andrew’s First Aid.
And this week, her proud mum Jackie spoke of the heart-stopping moment in July.
She said: “We were organising the house and I was putting washing away upstairs and my husband Roland was making the dinner downstairs.
“Skye was in the living room with her wee sister who was in a travel cot and she had a wee bit of chocolate, there wasn’t that much left.
“I was coming downstairs when I heard the noise of her choking and my wee girl Skye shouted, ‘Mum her lips are blue. She’s choking’.
“So I sprinted down the stairs and her dad came out of the kitchen to help too but before we could get there, Skye had already grabbed her out of the cot and started slapping her back.
“This made her sick and it managed to dislodge the chocolate.
“I got her checked over at the doctors and they said it could’ve been a lot different if Skye hadn’t done what she did and acted so quickly.
“She saved her sister’s life and if she wasn’t there, it could’ve been a very different outcome.”
Jackie believes Skye acted on her instincts – and watching TV could have provided her with the life-saving technique.
She said: “After it all, Payton was looking at us wondering what all of the commotion was about. She ended up getting a certificate from the Scottish Ambulance Service.
“Over the years, I’ve learned not to panic. My middle child Ava used to take fits so I’ve learned to keep calm so that the kids stay calm.
‘Skye’s like me, she likes watching a lot of the hospital and paramedic programmes on TV.
“I’ve taken first aid courses at a local parents group. Skye will always ask what I’ve been doing so I’ve talked her through
what we do.”