Heroic toddler rings for help after mother falls down stairs

Joe McCudden, who attends Harryville Primary School’s nursery, showed bravery beyond his years when he used a mobile phone to ring for help after he found his mum, Shirley, lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs.

Shirley suffers from Epilepsy and suffered a seizure on the landing, which caused her to fall down the stairs, quick thinking Joe rang his dad James, who came home and called an ambulance. Continued on page 5

Joe’s proud dad told the Times that the nursery pupil had to look up his number on his mum’s Blackberry before making the call, James said: “Joe told me that he knew that my name began with the same letter as his. So he typed that in and my number was the first that came up, the call came through and I rushed home. I found Shirley at the bottom of the stairs with Joe and his younger brother Charlie sitting beside her.

“We are incredibly proud of him, he’s a real hero, I never thought he would know how to use his mum’s mobile phone but we are lucky that he did.

“He kept saying his mummy had fallen down the stairs, I am sure it scared him but he showed real courage.”

Shirley spent a couple of weeks in hospital recovering, she said: “I was very emotional about what happened, my eldest son, Tyler knows to ring his dad if anything like this happens but he was out at football.

“I would have been lying there for a couple of hours if Joe didn’t ring. It gives me goose bumps thinking about what could have happened.”

Principal of Harryville Primary School, Leslie Meikle, described Joe as a super hero, she said: “We are extremely proud of him, for a nursery child to be able to lift the phone and call for help like this, is incredible.”

“The sight of his mother at the bottom of the stairs could have been a traumatic experience but his quick thinking shows what a brave boy he is.

“Joe then showed more courage when he stood up in front of the entire school to tell his fellow pupils about his extraordinary story. He’s a hero, a super hero.”

The Times had a quick chat with the very modest Joe on Friday, he said: “I rang daddy, because mummy was sick, I think I saved mummy’s life.”

Harryville Primary have nominated Joe to the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain awards for his incredible bravery, however Joe has already been rewarded for his actions, his proud parents bought him a brand new Nintendo DS.