A five-year-old girl saved her father’s life after he collapsed with a seizure.
Avaana Samuel was at home when her dad Sam, 34, suffered severe convulsions and was left bleeding from a head wound after falling out of bed.
Sam Suriakumar is on medication which, until recently, had successfully controlled seizures caused by a brain tumour.
But two weeks ago he was resting at home with Avaana and her little sister Arya, when he experienced a life-threatening grand mal seizure.
Avaana heard her little sister crying out in fright and ran to the rescue.
She scooped Arya up and took her into another room and then phoned for help on her dad’s mobile.
Despite the distressing scene, Avaana managed to contact her GP mum, Sindhu, and other relatives who dialled 999.
Emergency services were alerted and phoned the house to instruct Avaana on what to do next.
The brave five-year-old followed their instructions; turning her father over into a safe position, checked if he was breathing and stayed by his side until her family and then the paramedics arrived.
Sam, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in February after being taken ill on the tube, said:
“While it was a very scary time I am so proud of my girls, particularly Avaana who literally saved my life.
"She was protective of her little sister and then called for help.
"Somehow she managed to remain calm and did everything she was told.
“I was unconscious for around five minutes and, when I came to, I was very confused and disorientated.
"It wasn’t really until I was in the hospital that I realised how serious it had been.
“I was very touched when the paramedics who had been at the house came to see me in A&E.
"I was much more coherent by then and it was very emotional to hear them say how amazed they were by how Avaana remained calm.
Avaana’s presence of mind has been rewarded with a prestigious Bravery Award from her school.
Following the incident, Sam has had a scan and other tests and is now waiting for an MRI next month.
He said: “The seizure hit me out of the blue and it was the first big one I’ve had since my diagnosis.
"Although I have been told it looks as if there is swelling around the tumour, the tumour itself doesn’t appear to have changed which is good news.
“For now I am staying positive."
Since his diagnosis, Sam and his family have raised just under £8000 for Brain Tumour Research.
To donate visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/samuel-suriakumar
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