You won't hear about a bigger hero this year.
Quick thinking by five-year-old Cork girl Priya may have saved her mother's life, after the 35-year-old mam of two collapsed while drinking her tea.
Speaking to the
Neil Prendeville Show on Red FM today, dad Damien explained that he'd been driving to work when his phone lit up with a FaceTime video call from his young daughter.
"I wouldn't usually answer but for some strange reason I did. She was crying and said 'Mammy was drinking her tea, and she's on the floor and can't get up.'" Priya went on to turn the camera around to show Damien his partner, who had lost function in the left side of her brain.
Damien and Mary's brother-in-law rushed to the scene, where Priya proved the hero once again by opening the latch and letting them him into the locked house. Mary was rushed to Cork University Hospital where she was seen "within seconds," with doctors confirming she had suffered a stroke.
"With a stroke, time is precious, and my little daughter, she's an absolute hero," said Damien. "She doesn't even know it yet, but she's a hero."
Medical staff said had Priya not acted so quickly, it's possible that her mother might not have made it. Damien reported that one doctor refused to take credit for doing his job, noting that the young child was the real hero.
"I know we all give out to our kids about being on their tablets, but when it comes to this, she saved her mother's life. She can use her tablet as much as she likes," said Damien.
Prendeville offered the family tickets to the Panto and food somewhere nice beforehand as a reward for Priya and her heroics, though we don't think we don't think a National Bravery Award would be out of order.
