The life-saving actions of an 11-year-old boy from Brighton have been praised, after he took over a 999 call as his dad went into cardiac arrest.

Winston was at home with his dad Mike, now 56-years-old, and younger brother Mani when Mike began experiencing tingling in his left arm, severe chest pain and nausea on 2 March 2025.

Mike initially dialled 999 but as his symptoms deteriorated and he went into cardiac arrest, Winston instinctively stepped in taking over the call. Emergency Medical Advisor (EMA), Casey Matthews, immediately directed Winston to get help and running outside, he alerted a passer-by who helped deliver vital CPR ahead of ambulance crews’ arrival.

Casey said: “Winston was incredible. He handled such a frightening situation so well and his fast response alerting a passer-by was crucial to get Mike the help he needed.”

Covering the Brighton Half marathon event nearby, Doctor Edward Langford and Paramedics Bethan, George and Claire from medical provider Enhanced Care Services received the call and immediately headed to help, administering a life-saving shock with a defibrillator, placing an automatic chest compression device and intubating Mike. They were swiftly followed by SECAmb Paramedic Nick Kimish, while Resource Dispatcher (RD) Noah LeBlang and Dispatch Team Leader (DTL) Alexi Gee coordinated further support.

Associate Ambulance Practitioner (AAP), Holly Osborne, Paramedic William Dennis and Operational Team Leader (OTL), Molly Chilton-Dobner arrived to assist. Mike, having been placed into an induced coma, and with support from the Fire and Rescue Service to extricate him from his home, was taken to hospital where he spent a further seven days recovering following major heart surgery.

In recognition of his exceptional bravery, Winston was recently invited to SECAmb’s Brighton Make Ready Centre, where he met with Casey, Nick, Edward, Noah, Alexi, Holly and Molly, some of the clinicians that saved Mike’s life, and was presented with a certificate of recognition for his actions.

Nick said: “I was delighted to hear Mike has been recovering well and get the chance to meet him and Winston again. The minutes following a cardiac arrest are crucial and Winston should be really proud of himself for acting so quickly and getting Mike help which can make all the difference in the outcome of a cardiac arrest.”

Alexi added: “I’ve been at SECAmb for 23 years and this was my first time meeting a survivor of cardiac arrest, so it was really special to meet Mike and Winston. I was glad to see him doing so well and was pleased we could recognise Winston for his actions.”

With only one in 10 patients surviving to 30 days after experiencing an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, Mike realises how lucky he is and has even learnt CPR himself and is encouraging others to do the same.

Mike said: “I’m so thankful to everyone for that day and I’m incredibly proud of Winston. He stepped up in a scary situation and got me help that I needed. I’m so grateful to everyone that helped me and because of them I get to spend more time with my family.”

Like Mike, you can learn CPR in as little as 15 minutes with free, online resources available from the British Heart Foundation here.