EXCLUSIVE

A BRAVE five-year-old schoolboy who saved his mummy's life after she sank into a coma said this week: "I thought she had just gone to sleep."

Cute freckle-faced Conor Beirne was hailed a hero by his family and friends this week after he ran from the house for help after he shook her but couldn't wake her up.

In fact Caroline - who had suffered a violent reaction to painkillers - was just moments from death when her son got no response from her as he asked for a drink of juice.

Conor, a bubbly young boy, realised something was seriously wrong and leapt up and ran next door to his Auntie Marie who instantly alerted an ambulance.

Paramedics who raced to her home at Kenilworth Close, on the Weston Estate, in a rapid response vehicle gave her life-saving treatment and after an overnight stay at Macclesfield Hospital Caroline was allowed home.

This week as she recovered from her ordeal she said: "I am so proud of Conor. He is such a star. He saved my life."

And she added: "The doctors and paramedics said that if Conor hadn't raised the alarm and got the ambulance there quickly things would have been different.

"It's a very scary thought but I am so proud of him - not to mention surprised. How many five-year-olds would do so well in that situation?

"He can be a bit of a handful sometimes and a little bit hyper but I am so proud of him - but for him I would have died."

And 35-year-old Caroline added: "Conor did so well and was very brave. He is a lovely boy, who loves his mum very much."

As for Conor, a pupil at St John's Primary School, on Ivy Road, he was overjoyed by his reward for being such a clever boy - a nice, juicy burger.

His family took him for some of his favourite food at McDonald's on Hulley Road.

Later, the little cheeky-faced scamp, said at his home: "I thought mummy was asleep and I tried to wake her up but she wouldn't.

"She had gone all grey and her lips were blue and her eyes had almost closed."

He added: "I wasn't scared - well, I was a bit. So I thought I better go and get Auntie Marie, who lives next door."

And then, politely announcing that the interview was over, he said. "I am going to get changed to go out now."

Soccer-mad Conor, who lives with mum and groundworker dad Barry, 37, and elder sisters Jade, 17, and 13-year-old Sinead was playing on his Playstation at the time his mum collapsed.

Neighbour and close friend, mum-of-four Marie Bartholemew, who has lived next door with husband Sean, 45, for 14 years, was shocked when she saw little Conor on her doorstep.

She said: "He just cried 'Mummy' and burst into tears.

"He did so well and he is getting a lot of attention at the moment - which he definitely deserves. It's all everybody on the estate is talking about!"

She added: "The paramedics said that if Conor hadn't done what he did so quickly Caroline would have died."

Jade, Conor's 17-year-old big sister, said: "He is such a character, very active, very smiley and sometimes gets into mischief. But I am really impressed and I don't think I would have been able to deal with the drama as well as Conor did.

"I would have just completely panicked. He's a little hero."

Full-time mum Caroline, remembers nothing about passing out.

"Everybody has been praising Conor to the skies. He was a bit more scared than he would like to admit and he had the following day off school because he got a bit wobbly.

"He was tired and stressed out by the whole thing, so there were a few tears then.

"To be honest, I wouldn't have thought he would know what to do. I had never talked to him about something like this happening because you never expect it."

She added: "I am just thankful he was with me and I had not let him go out to play that night as it was getting dark. I daren't think what could have happened then.

"Conor did brilliantly - but I don't know how he is going to top this for Mother's Day!"