11-year-old Maddison Lock from St Leonards saves mother's life twice
'My mum is in a lot of pain,' 11-year-old Maddison Lock tells emergency services, her little voice calm and steady as she saves her mother's life for the second time.
The St Leonards girl was recognised on Wednesday as a Junior Triple Zero Hero for jumping into action when her mum, who has stage four breast cancer, fainted at home.
'It's really scary, but you have to suck it up and help out,' Maddison said.
As well as dealing with the medical emergency before her, Maddison had to keep her brothers Ethan, 9, and Carson, 5, calm while they waited for help.
On the other end of the line was triple-0 calltaker Raquel McSweeney.
'She's probably one of the calmest callers I've ever spoken to,' Ms McSweeney said.
'She followed all my directions. She was really good … She gave me all the medical history that the crew needed to know about. She was a bit of a champion.
'She made my job very easy.'
Maddison's mother Melissa Evans was diagnosed with cancer in May 2020 and has undergone aggressive treatments, including a new 'cocktail of chemo'.
'I lost consciousness due to low blood pressure, due to some internal bleeding,' Ms Evans said.
'I'm a single mother and she's my eldest child and unfortunately, the responsibility was placed on to her to be able to make a phone call like this.'
Maddison was recognised as a Junior Triple Zero Hero in 2023 for helping her mother on another occasion.
'This was the first time that I've lost consciousness. So completely unfamiliar territory on what to do, and she had to help with the younger brothers as well … they were absolutely hysterical in the background,' Ms Evans said.
'She did phenomenally.
'I'm extremely proud. I've overheard both the conversations now and the way that she just stayed so calm and didn't panic, didn't think twice about doing anything, it was just absolutely amazing.'
Also awarded today from the Geelong region was Jaxon Gliddon who sprang into action in September last year after his grandfather fell from a roof.
'I was bringing a parcel around to my Pa, and then I saw him on the floor just with a massive hole in his head,' Jaxon said.
At just 12 years of age, the Lara boy knew what to do, calling triple-0 and helping his Nan to control the bleeding until help arrived.
'It could have been a lot worse without Jaxon, that's for sure,' grandfather Ron McCullagh said.
'He was very good, very calm, collected … I'm still very proud of Jackson.'
Jaxon and Maddison were among 19 Junior Triple Zero Heroes honoured today at a ceremony in Melbourne.
Minister for Emergency Services Vicki Ward praised the recipients for their quick
thinking under challenging circumstances.
'These Victorians show you're never too young to be a hero. While we'd all hope kids never have to make the call, it's important that caregivers have the conversation with them on what to do in an emergency – it could save a life.'
Triple Zero Victoria CEO Deb Abbott said: 'Each young hero deserves commendation for their quick thinking, focus, and readiness to follow instructions when faced with a potentially life-threatening scenario.'
Originally published as Hero Maddison Lock awarded for saving mum's life a second time
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