Grateful mother sets up fundraiser after first responder saves boy from choking

A grateful mother has begun fundraising for a rescue service after a first responder saved her young son from choking on a sweet.

Trained medic Steve Maddams said he was “in the right place at the right time” when he spotted nine-year-old Archie Hurren struggling to breathe.

Kayleigh Hurren had pulled into a petrol station in Wymondham, Norfolk, on Tuesday when she noticed her son in difficulty after eating a cherry sweet.

She told the PA news agency: “As I pulled into the station, Archie grabbed my leg.

“Time just stopped for me, and I started to scream for help.”

Mr Maddams threw his crisps and ice cream to the ground as he leapt to Archie’s aid.

Ms Hurren said: “He had his radio on and was able to put a call out and the ambulance was there quickly. He managed to get the sweet down to his stomach – it was insane.”

To express her gratitude, Ms Hurren has set up a fundraiser for Norfolk Accident and Rescue Service (Nars), where Mr Maddams, who she described as “an angel of a man” volunteers, and she has so far raised more than £200.

Mr Maddams said: “I was at the right place at the right time to be able to use my skills to save Archie.

“I went to the shop before the England game to grab snacks and I noticed a boy choking and his mum screaming for help.

“I immediately helped and, with the training I’ve got, I dislodged the sweet out of his mouth, then I called for help on my radio.”

Nars, which has been running for 51 years, provides advanced medical care to victims of serious trauma and other medical emergencies, throughout Norfolk.

It receives no government or NHS funding and relies entirely upon charitable donations to maintain its life-saving service.

Ms Hurren wrote on the GoFundMe page: “Had it been a few seconds later and I got out of that car to go in the shop or had Steve not decided to fill up his car and get his snacks, then I could have lost my son.”

– To donate to Kayleigh Hurren’s fundraiser, visit https://uk.gofundme.com/f/steve-the-nars-hero-archies-story