Five-year-old Ellis Ward was the only person at home when his dad suddenly collapsed with an epileptic seizure – but the hero youngster knew exactly how to respond
A heroic and quick-thinking five-year-old boy has been praised for saving his dad from serious injury after he suddenly collapsed with an epileptic seizure.
James Ward, 35, was diagnosed with the condition back in 2016 and assumed it was under control while he continued taking medication for it. But James had contracted a vrius whilst on holiday in Greece last month, which left him suffering frequent epileptic seizures since.
On Sunday, November 24, James suddenly collapsed while upstairs in his son Ellis Ward’s bedroom. Without panicking, the schoolboy quickly sprung into action, placing his dad’s head on a pillow to stop him hitting the wardrobe. James said: “There was only me and Ellis in the house and I was upstairs with Ellis whilst he was playing on his X box.
“I was sat on the bed when the seizure happened and the next thing I remember is waking up and Ellis had his hand on my head which was on a pillow to stop me from hitting the wardrobe. He told me I had suffered a seizure and had switched the lights, television and X box off as he knows I have a sensitivity to light when I come round.
“He said he had counted I had been out with the seizure for 15 seconds, as the time it lasts determines whether we need to call for an ambulance.”
Recalling the situation, Ellis said: “My dad had fallen back on the bed and so I moved his head away from the cupboard and put a pillow next to him so he didn’t bang his head. I’ve seen my dad have a seizure before and so I was able to stay calm. I knew to move things out of the way so he didn’t hurt himself and to turn off the television and close the curtains for when he woke up. I counted that he was out for 15 seconds. If it lasts more than one minute then I need to phone an ambulance.”
James, who has already suffered a number of broken bones after collapsing and having a seizure, said: “I think Ellis did really well not to panic and was aware of what to do.
“Some people want to try and manoeuvre you when you are having a fit, but this is the wrong thing to do. You need to clear things out of the way rather than trying to move the person and this is exactly what Ellis did. It’s reassuring to know how Ellis reacted and that he was confident in what he had to do.”
James, who had not spoken to Ellis about what to do in the event of him having a seizure, assumes the youngster learned by watching his mum, Emma, respond to one previously. Emma, 34, said: “Ellis has only just started to see what happens when his dad is suffering from a seizure.
“We have had lots of discussions about what to expect and how to act in an emergency. Ellis knows how to unlock our phones and either call me, his nanna or 999. He knows all the relevant information that the emergency services would ask including our personal details – his memory is incredible.”
She added: “I had recently explained to Ellis that his dad has epilepsy which means that sometimes Daddy’s brain dances and that makes his body dance.
“I used that analogy so that Ellis didn’t get frightened. It clearly worked because on Sunday when James came round Ellis was calm, explained what had happened, told his dad how long the seizure had lasted, and the part that melted my heart is that Ellis was stroking his dad’s head and reassuring him.
“He then turned the lights and TV off and stayed with his dad to make sure he was okay. I’m an incredibly proud mum and astounded at how maturely and calmly Ellis acted at just five-years-old.”
James now hopes to visit a specialist neurologist to help bring his epilepsy under control, and wants school children to be given guidance on how to respond to seizures if ever faced with one.
He said: “I think it should be part of the curriculum. There may be other children whose parents have epilepsy and there needs to be more awareness of what to do in a situation where a person is having a seizure.”