A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy who nearly died after he suffered a brain haemorrhage has been reunited with two police officers who saved his life. Kierron Thomas, from Colchester, was unwell at home when he suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing as his frantic mother Geraldine Thomas looked on.

Annie Davidson

A NINE-YEAR-OLD boy who nearly died after he suffered a brain haemorrhage has been reunited with two police officers who saved his life.

Kierron Thomas, from Colchester, was unwell at home when he suddenly collapsed and stopped breathing as his frantic mother Geraldine Thomas looked on.

Mrs Thomas gave her son mouth-to-mouth and called 999 for help and Sgt Alex Wisbey and Pc Dave Croxson, of Stanway Road Policing Unit in Colchester, who were on patrol nearby were sent to the family's Greenstead house.

Sgt Wisbey, who has been based at the unit since 2003, said he and Pc Croxson received a call saying a very distressed woman had dialled 999 and said her son was not breathing.

Sgt Wisbey said: “We were no more than a couple of minutes away from the location and we carry extra life saving equipment like oxygen because we are a fire arms crew.

“We went to the address and as we went into the house he (Pc Croxson) was getting the kit ready and we found a young lad about seven or eight lying on his back in the hallway.

“There was a profuse amount of mucus coming from his mouth and nose and it looked like it had blood in it - it was very difficult to tell whether he was breathing.

“We went through the basics of first aid and when we checked his airway it appeared to be blocked. As we cleared it he gave a huge gasping breath which was good news - he was at least breathing on his own.”

However Sgt Wisbey and Pc Croxson were concerned because the ill youngster was only taking about four big breaths every minute which they knew from their training was not enough to keep oxygen travelling to his brain.

As Sgt Wisbey gave Kierron assisted breaths and Pc Croxson administered other first aid as they waited for an ambulance crews to arrive at the Greenstead house.

The officers helped to put Kierron in the ambulance which Pc Croxson then drove to Colchester General Hospital so both the crew could treat the desperately ill schoolboy.

He was soon on a life support machine and spent eight months in hospitals including Great Ormond Street Childrens' Hospital in London before he was allowed home.

He now has only yearly check-ups at the hospital, is fully recovered except from some memory loss and has rejoined his classmates at St Andrew's School in Greenstead.

On Wednesday Sgt Wisbey was honoured with a chief constable's commendation at Essex Police headquarters in Chelmsford.

But he said he could not have helped Kierron without the team work between him and Pc Croxson, who is going to be sent a letter of thanks from the chief constable.

Sgt Wisbey said: “It was a team thing and I put his (Kierron's) survival down to team working. Dave was sorting out the kit and only one person can do the breaths for someone.

“I am a big believer in team work.”

Both officers had had baby daughters within the space of two days six weeks before Kierron was taken ill and Sgt Wisbey said they fact they were both fathers made their empathy for Kierron's parents even greater.

Sgt Wisbey and Pc Croxson yesterday saw Kierron and his parents again for the first time since the ordeal in November 2006.

Mr Thomas, who was working in Birmingham when Kierron was taken ill, said: “I am very grateful to the police, because of they had not turned up I don't want to think about what would have happened.”

He added that although his wife had done mouth to mouth on Kierron she was not trained in first aid and was using the knowledge of what she had seen on television.