"we couldn't be prouder of our amazing daughter"
A five-year-old girl who helped save her mother’s life after she collapsed at home has become the youngest ever recipient of a prestigious West Midlands Ambulance Service bravery award.
In February 2026, Mya Kaur Sangha was at home in Rowley Regis with her mother, Neeta Sangha, and her two younger siblings when her mum suddenly became seriously unwell and lost consciousness.
Quickly realising something was wrong, Mya calmly called 999 for an ambulance.
She told the call handler her address, her mother’s name and the ages of her siblings, who were just three years old and eight months old at the time.
With her mother unconscious and suspected to be suffering from sepsis, Mya carefully followed the call handler’s instructions, including opening the front door so emergency crews could reach her mother and provide urgent medical assistance.
Hospital staff later said the youngster’s quick thinking may well have saved her mother’s life.
Her remarkable actions were recognised in September when she received the Young Person of Outstanding Bravery award at the West Midlands Ambulance Service awards ceremony, making her the youngest ever recipient in the ambulance service’s history.
Mya was presented with her certificate by West Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive Anthony Marsh and Carmen Watson DL, High Sheriff of the West Midlands.
Speaking about her daughter’s actions, proud mum Neeta said:
“As parents, we couldn’t be prouder of our amazing daughter and all that she did at her young age.
“We wanted to share her story more widely so people could see just how calmly she dealt with such a chaotic situation, despite being so young.”
Mya’s composure and bravery were also praised during the awards ceremony, where attendees heard how her actions had helped ensure her mother received potentially life-saving treatment.
An excerpt from the ceremony read: “Mya’s incredible composure and quick thinking helped her mum get the urgent medical attention she needed and, in the opinion of the hospital staff who treated mum, may well have saved her life.”
The experience has also seemingly inspired Mya to consider following in the footsteps of the emergency responders who helped her family.
The awards ceremony heard: “Perhaps most wonderfully, after everything she did that day, Mya has decided she wants to become a paramedic herself!”
