Heroic 9-year-old girl helps save dad’s life after severe asthma attack outside her Luton school

A man who is recovering from a severe asthma attack says he owes his life to the quick thinking of his nine-year-old daughter.

Rashid Mahmood said the drama happened when he went to pick up his daughter Halima Sadia, from River Bank Primary School, Luton.

Mr Mahmood, 41, said he had felt unwell but when he and Halima Sadia got back to the car he started to have breathing problems and it quickly became an emergency situation.

He said: “I was not feeling so well but it was when we got back to the car that the problems started. I couldn’t breathe.

"But my daughter, who is only nine, didn’t panic. She was so amazing and took control, telling me to stay calm. She quickly got out and stopped passersby to ask for help. She said, ‘My Dad is in trouble, he can’t breathe, please help’.”

An ambulance was called and Halima Sadia then called her uncle who came straight away.

Mr Mahmood, of Studley Road, Luton, was rushed to Luton & Dunstable Hospital where he ended up in a coma for four days.

He is now slowly recovering though has not yet returned to work.

He added: “The hospital staff have been amazing. I owe them all a big thanks. I was told the attack was caused by my airway being irritated after my vocal chords were obstructed, a condition which only affects about 1 in every 100 asthma sufferers.

“The ambulance staff were incredible too. They came within five or six minutes and the paramedics praised my daughter’s quick thinking. They said she was remarkable and had been it been another 10 or 15 minutes it might have been a different story.

“But Halima Sadia is the real hero. She’s only nine and could easily have panicked. It was very scary but a big thing for her to remain as calm as she did.

“She helped save my life. I’m so proud of her.”

A spokesperson for East of England Ambulance Service, said: "Halima's courage and quick-thinking helped us to get an ambulance to her father quickly.

"In situations like this, minutes can be vital, so she really made a difference and we’ll be sending her a certificate recognising her actions that day."