Jo O’Brien was beside herself last week after her nine-year-old mostly non-verbal son Henry choked, but one paramedic saved the day in the most “powerful” of ways.
One simple act from a “hero” paramedic was all it took to alleviate the panic of distraught mum Jo O’Brien after her son suffered a scary choking attack last week.
Nine-year-old Henry, who is mostly non-verbal, signalled to his mum on Tuesday that he was choking, with her instantly calling triple-0 and attempting to dislodge his obstruction.
While she was able to induce some vomiting, the mum-of-four, who runs a preschool and is well-versed in treating children, was completely beside herself.
That was until Henry came into the hands of one of the paramedics that responded to her call.
When Ms O’Brien informed the crew that Henry relied on sign language to communicate, the paramedic seamlessly began speaking to him using Auslan.
“I was just in awe, I thought, ‘This is amazing,’” Ms O’Brien, who lives in Sydney’s eastern suburb of Randwick, told news.com.au.
She recalled being “so distressed” until the respondent began her signing with Henry.
“Out of the whole experience, that was the most powerful thing,” she said.
“When I saw it, I just went, ‘Oh my God.’ I couldn’t keep up with them. He was really happy, and I think he was really relaxed as well.”
Having Henry be comfortable in what could otherwise be an intimidating, foreign environment for him, was priceless in that moment, his mum said.
“Henry gains comfort from people who can understand him and people who can connect with him,” she said.
“They were just so calm and so lovely, and their main interest was Henry.”
Henry was born with a Global Developmental Delay (GDD) but has since been diagnosed with Apraxia, which is caused by brain disease or damage and means the brain is unable to make and deliver correct movement instructions to the body, often affecting speech.
Despite his challenges, Henry attends mainstream school and has a schedule packed with extra-curricular activities including music therapy, swimming and jiu-jitsu.
“He is the most resilient little boy. He’s such a gentleman, he’s just gorgeous,” Ms O’Brien said.
To show her appreciation for the team that came to their rescue last week, Ms O’Brien has set up a tab at Coogee cafe, The Diver, so paramedics can get a free coffee when they stop by.
Just last year, her daycare Platinum Pre School wrote and illustrated a book called Be Kind for the same very people.
For all the latest lifestyle News Click Here
