Granny praises 'wee hero' after Kyle, 6, saves her life

Published on Thursday 26 March 2009 08:58

A SIX-YEAR-OLD "hero" has saved the life of his diabetic grandmother after she took a deadly turn for the worse.

Little Kyle Sim from Gorebridge was staying with gran Cathy Sim, 62, at her home in the town's Springfield Place on Friday night, when she suddenly lost consciousness.

Cathy had suffered a hypoglycaemic episode and her blood sugar had dropped to a dangerous level. Despite having trouble reading and writing – and never having used a phone before – Kyle looked up his parents' telephone number in his grandmother's address book and called for help.

Dad Thomas, 33, an HGV driver, received the terrifying call at about 10pm. He said: "He phoned up and said 'is that you Dad?' I said 'yes', he said, 'Gran's dead'."

Mum Julieann, 29, said: "Kyle was distraught, screaming over the phone and howling.

"I didn't know what to do – I just stood there, dazed."

After jumping in his car at his home in Newbyres Crescent, Thomas arrived at the house to find Kyle standing in his pyjamas in floods of tears and Mrs Sim sprawled on the couch.

Primary two pupil Kyle explained: "She was lying on the couch and I phoned my dad and he came running down.

Thomas said: "The phone was sitting on the floor and I fell over it. I feared the worst and then I heard her moaning and I thought 'she's still alive'."

He added: "The ambulance crew came and gave her an insulin shot because her blood levels were really low. If Kyle wasn't there we don't know if she would still be here or not.

"The crew were praising him for what he had done, especially when he'd never touched a phone before in his life. For a boy who cannot read very well he's done the right thing."

Car-mad Kyle, who has an older brother Thomas, ten, and two sisters Megan, eight, and Brooke, 14 months, even helped Thomas make toast for Mrs Sim, as requested by the ambulance crew.

Mrs Sim, who lives on her own, was diagnosed with type two diabetes in 2000. Despite suffering hypoglycaemic episodes before, she had never experienced one so severe.

She said: "God knows what would have happened if Kyle hadn't been here.

"He's a brave lad – I can't praise him enough. He's definitely my wee hero."

Mrs Sim made a full recovery following her treatment and did not have to go to hospital.