Two brave young girls from Wyndham have been recognised for their life-saving actions.
Ikran, aged 14, and eight-year-old Alexandra were each presented with a Junior Triple Zero Heroes award last week.
Fifty-one children aged 16 and below were nominated for the awards, held by the Victorian Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA).
The authority, which deals with triple-0 calls, hosts the annual awards to honour young people who act quickly and calmly when faced with an emergency.
Youngsters are nominated for the awards by ESTA telephone operators.
Ikran, from Werribee, called triple-0 when her older brother Abdi had a seizure in January last year.
Ikran said Abdi was playing on a gaming console, when he started to shake, dropped on the floor and fell unconscious.
After calling for an ambulance, Ikran checked her brother’s breathing and answered questions for the ESTA telephone operator, who told her not to let Abdi move if he woke up.
“It was kind of hard to make him stay there, because he wanted to get up and he’s stronger than me,” Ikran said.
Medical staff believed Abdi’s seizure was a random event, but Ikran again called triple-0 when he experienced another seizure a few months later.
Ikran said both of the seizures were “scary” for her family, because at the time they didn’t know what was happening to Abdi. He has since been diagnosed with epilepsy.
Abdi said he was grateful for Ikran’s actions.
“She saved my life and I’m thankful for all she’s done,” he said.
Alexandra, who lives in Tarneit, was nominated for an award because she called for an ambulance when her mother had an asthma attack which resulted in her being admitted to intensive care.
Alexandra said she was playing with Barbie dolls when she noticed her mother coughing and having trouble breathing, so she called triple-0.
“I had to answer questions about my mum like, ‘Was she still breathing?’ and ‘Is she awake?’” Alexandra said.
Alexandra, who is in grade 3 at The Grange P-12 College, said teachers had spoken about her Junior Triple Zero Hero award during a recent school assembly.
“Everyone has been coming up to me and saying ‘congratulations’,” she said.
