Teenager praised for helping to save mum's life

Nelly and her mother Rebecca

A teenager has spoken of how she helped to save the life of her mother - alongside her father and brother - after she had a cardiac arrest.

The family from Morley, Derbyshire, were on holiday in Aberdaron, a remote part of North Wales where they were two hours drive from a hospital, when mum Rebecca collapsed shortly after their arrival.

Her husband Rob said he and his son Rufus, 18, started doing CPR while 15-year-old Nelly called the emergency services.

Nelly, who is in the army cadets, received a Praiseworthy Action Certificate from the Army Cadet Charitable Trust for her efforts last month.

Rob (centre right) said if he and his children had not worked together, "it would have been a very difficult outcome - we would have had an empty seat at our table"

Rob said they were walking up to their cottage in October, when he suddenly heard Nelly "shrieking".

He said: "I ran down the hillside to see Becky on the floor - she had collapsed.

"She was a terrible shade - her lips had gone blue and there was no response from her."

The 53-year-old said he told his son Rufus - who is a lifeguard - 'we have to do CPR'.

"We just sprung into action - Nelly was on the comms," he said.

"Rebecca would have never had made it if it was not for everything being aligned on that day.

"I am so thrilled and proud of the children - and Becky because she has made a phenomenal recovery."

Nelly shared their location with the emergency services using the What3Words app

Nelly said: "I assumed the worse. I had never experienced anything like this... [but] I stayed focussed and remained calm."

"In the cadets, we have first aid training anyway and rehearsal 999 calls.

"Because of that I knew what to say to the operating lady because I would have had no clue otherwise."

Two ambulance crews arrived 25 minutes later, followed by the air ambulance 20 minutes after that.

Rebecca was flown to hospital, put into a medically-induced coma for four days and subsequently had surgery to fit an internal defibrillator.

She has gone on to make a full recovery.

Rebecca said: "It has made us realise it is so vital to have some CPR knowledge."

Stuart Williams, chief executive of East Midlands Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, said Nelly had "shown incredible maturity in managing an extremely stressful and traumatic situation".

He added: "She is a remarkable young person and a shining example of how our cadets add real value to their communities."