Prepare youngsters for emergencies

The mother of a two-year-old girl who helped her telephone 999 after she suffered partial paralysis wants parents to prepare their children for emergencies.

Mrs Sian Cheetham (26) of Broughton Drive, Newark, this week nominated her daughter, Charley, for an Advertiser Child of Courage Award.

Mrs Cheetham, who fractured part of her spine in a car accident in December, was at home when she lost all feeling in her right arm and legs.

Unable to move and with only Charley in the house, Mrs Cheetham asked her daughter to get her mobile phone, which was in her handbag upstairs.

She said Charley, who has been walking since she was one, went straight upstairs and brought it down to her.

Mrs Cheetham called 999 and her parents, who looked after Charley when she was taken to hospital and picked up her sister, Chloe Collyer (5) from Holy Trinity Primary School.

“It must have been quite a scary situation for Charley,” Mrs Cheetham said.

“I couldn’t move. If it hadn’t been for her I would have been sat there until 8pm when my husband comes home.”

Mrs Cheetham, a diabetic, said parents should teach their children how to react in an emergency, especially if they have a medical condition.

She said Chloe was able to dial 999.

“My five-year-old knows that if she’s out with mummy, and mummy falls over, to tell someone that mummy is a diabetic,” she said.

Paramedics arrived shortly after Mrs Cheetham called at about 10.30am on Tuesday last week.

They decided not to move her and called for the air ambulance that took her to King’s Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, in eight minutes.

She has nothing but praise for the paramedics, but she said her experience after leaving the air ambulance was poor in comparison.

After an x-ray at King’s Mill she was taken to a ward.

Mrs Cheetham said she suffered breathing problems and lower back pain.

She was sent for an MRI scan and said she received different reports of what the scan showed. Some doctors said her neck was broken, others said it was not.

She was so unhappy with the treatment that, having regained feeling in her arm and legs, she discharged herself after three days.

Mrs Cheetham, a sales manager for Amber Windows, Nottingham, can walk but is restricted in her movement. She has been off work since December and has an appointment to see a neurologist.

A spokesman for Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust said: “The care Mrs Cheetham received at King’s Mill Hospital was entirely appropriate and her symptoms were thoroughly and efficiently investigated.

“It was unclear from an initial x-ray if a fracture had occurred so an MRI scan was arranged. This confirmed conclusively that no bones were broken. As a precaution, while waiting for the scan, she would have been recommended to wear a neck brace and restrict movement.

“Each stage in Mrs Cheetham’s care was fully explained to her at the time, but we would be pleased to clarify any further points if she would like to contact the hospital directly.”

l Nominations can still be made for the Advertiser Children of Courage Awards, being presented at Balderton Village Centre on April 21.

Nominations can be sent to Cassandra Holmes, Newark Advertiser, Appletongate. The closing date is a week today.

The five categories are: child or young person who has suffered loss; child or young person who has overcome a serious illness or adversity; child or young person who has shown an act of bravery in extreme circumstances; child or young person who has shown responsibility in the role of a carer; child or young person who has worked for a charity in terms of increasing awareness/fundraising.