Blackpool Police praise nine-year-old lifesaver Sienna after her mum collapsed at home

Sienna Hamnett-Chow, of Primrose Avenue in South Shore called the emergency services after her mum, who suffers from a very rare medical condition, collapsed at home.

Sienna’s mum, Gemma, 37, suffers from Addison’s disease, a rare endocrine condition where the adrenal glands cease to function, so that your body no longer produces enough of certain essential hormones, known as steroid hormones. People with Addison’s are prescribed an emergency injection kit in case of adrenal crises.

An adrenal crisis is a life-threatening situation and requires immediate medical treatment. The person needs to be given an emergency injection immediately or it could be fatal.

Despite this, Gemma says Sienna remains ‘calm and relaxed’ when giving her the life saving injection.

Gemma said: “She has saved my life about six times now. When an adrenal crisis happens I need to have emergency injection and Sienna knows what to do.

“She has to draw the insulin from a glass and inject it into me while I am unconscious. She also rings for an ambulance but because my condition is so rare, some paramedics have to research it when they arrive.

“Sienna is always calm and relaxed when it happens and she knows what to do and the first time she did it she was four.

“I can’t move or speak when it happens but I can hear what is going on and Sienna knows what she has to do. It can be as little as eight minutes when it could be fatal unless I have the injection so Sienna is definitely my little angel.”

Following the emergency incident in which police attended, Sienna, who attends Roseacre Academy, was praised by Blackpool Police and received a a police ‘trauma teddy’.

PC Claire Sloane, of Blackpool Police’s Immediate Response team contacted The Gazette and said: “Myself and my colleague attended to concerns for Gemma and Sienna. Sienna was extremely calm and very positive despite Gemma having a medical episode.

“Sienna was very knowledgeable and told me the medical terms of all Gemma’s conditions and even explained to me how she manages them. Without any hesitation, Sienna injected Gemma with the required medication to prevent a decline in ill health.

“Sienna told me all about her school and home life as a young carer and I could not believe how enthusiastic she was about everything. Sienna deserves a medal, she is kind and caring and doesn’t realise how amazing she is.”

Gemma, who worked for Lancashire Police for 11 years until being medically retired last year, said: “Sienna is my angel for sure and I am so grateful that she is getting some recognition for the hard work she does. During crazy times like this, it’s making people not take life for granted as many do without realising.”

“Sienna is a young ambassador at her school as well as a young carers ambassador but until incidents like what happened to me, people don’t realise how important she is in my life.”

According to the NHS, around 8,400 people in the UK suffer from Addison’s disease. It can affect people of any age, although it is most common between the ages of 30 and 50. It’s also more common for women than it is for men.