Banstead: Mum who fainted praises son, 3, for calling 999

A mother who collapsed at home in front of her three-year-old son has praised him for alerting the emergency services.

Oscar dialled 999 from his home in Banstead, Surrey, and told the operator his "mummy is asleep".

His mother, Iona, had fainted and was taken by ambulance to hospital where she made a full recovery.

She said she had been coughing up blood and was "proud" of Oscar for "managing to let the ambulance crew in".

She said: "No-one had ever taught Oscar how to call 999.

"Yet he did it and let the ambulance crew into our house whilst I was unconscious.

"We've sat down and we've talked about how good it was that he managed to call out an ambulance."

Iona fainted due to PoTS (Postural Tachycardia Syndrome) - a rare condition that causes an abnormal increase in the heart rate.

Oscar and his mother Iona visited Surrey Police HQ where he received a bravery award

PC Emma Robinson, 999 call handler, said: "After a while Oscar managed to tell me that his mother was sleeping and that she wouldn't wake up.

"He also disclosed that she was blowing bubbles and I then knew that we needed to get an ambulance there as quickly as possible."

Oscar received a bravery award from Surrey Police and visited their HQ in Guildford, where he "loved" sitting in a police car.

A full interview with Iona and Oscar speaking on BBC Radio Surrey is available here.

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