A four-year-old girl from Kent who helped the emergency call handler while her mum was seriously unwell and sought help from neighbours has been awarded a bravery certificate.
In March 2026, mum of three Holly was at home with her partner, four-year-old Delilah and their two-year-old twins when she developed chest pain, struggled to breathe and could no longer feel her hands or feet.
Holly’s partner dialled 999 but, with the twins needing his support, he passed the phone to Delilah, who spoke to Emergency Medical Advisor (EMA) Chloe in the Medway Emergency Operations Centre. Delilah relayed Chloe’s questions to her mum and shared her symptoms, helping Chloe gather the information needed to arrange the right emergency response.
When Delilah began to find communicating more difficult because of her speech and language difficulties and with Holly also struggling to speak, she passed the phone back to her dad and went outside to find help. She knocked on three neighbours’ doors until she found someone who could come and help.
The call was triaged as a Category 2 emergency, with a crew arriving at the family home within 15 minutes of the 999 call. Delilah stayed calmly by her mum’s side while the ambulance crew assessed Holly, who was then taken to Tunbridge Wells Hospital with a suspected stroke.
Chloe said “Delilah did an incredible job. She listened carefully and passed my questions to her mum, helping us understand what was happening. It was lovely to meet her and her family in person and present her with a certificate for her bravery.”
Six months later, Delilah joined her mum, dad and siblings at Paddock Wood Make Ready Centre to meet EMA Chloe, Operational Team Leader, Alex and Paramedic, Charlotte. The trio presented Delilah with a certificate recognising her bravery and she also had the chance to look around an ambulance and switch on its lights.
Holly said “We’re so proud of Delilah. It was a frightening moment for all of us, but she listened to Chloe and helped me answer her questions. She stayed by my side while the paramedics took care of me and remained calm in a very upsetting situation. It meant a lot to come back as a family and recognise her bravery.”