Nottinghamshire girl, 12, gets award for epilepsy 999 call

The ambulance service said Lily-Alice had remained calm

A 12-year-old girl has received an ambulance service award for dialling 999 when her dad had an epileptic seizure.

Lily-Alice, from Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, found her dad Lawrance unconscious and having a fit on the sofa at her grandparents' house.

At the time, she was the only other person in the house but the service said she had remained calm.

She said: "It's a big thing - I'm proud of myself."

Lawrance, 34, became ill at 16:15 GMT on 9 December.

Lily's emergency call was answered by East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) 999 call handler Christopher Turk.

Christopher Turk, from EMAS, said Lily-Alice had been brilliant throughout the call

He said: "Lily was very upset at the start of the phone call, but she was brilliant throughout, doing an excellent job of managing the situation until the ambulance crew arrived and took over.

"While she initially struggled to identify the address of the property, we worked together to locate where they were by asking Lily to look for any letters around the property with any addresses on them.

"In the latter stages of the call, Lily was proactive in unlocking the doors to ensure the crew could enter the house straight away upon their arrival."

Lawrance had been recovering from a head injury he sustained in November 2021 which resulted in him being in a coma for a few months and having a metal plate fitted inside his head.

About a month after being discharged from the hospital he began having seizures.

Lily-Alice was given a Laverick awards by EMAS staff

Lawrance said: "I usually get a warning sign when I'm about to experience a seizure.

"Lily was stopping with me on that day at my parents' house and it was after my parents went out that I started to feel the symptoms.

"My mouth and throat started to feel furry, and I was also experiencing pain in these regions of my body, followed by spasms in my arms and legs.

"That is when I went to lie down on the sofa as I knew what was about to happen.

"I was devastated that Lily was on her own with me at the time as she had never witnessed me have a seizure before that day, but I am so proud of her at the same time for how she handled the situation.

EMAS presented Lily-Alice with the Laverick Award at her school.

The award recognises children and young adults who have gone above and beyond to help another and is in memory of Nick Laverick, a paramedic team leader who died of cancer in 2013.