Even online friends can become important lifesavers. This beautiful story of two gamers from Texas and England shows that.
Through playing online games, friendships often develop that go far beyond national or continental borders. Even if you may never meet these people in real life, they can still have a significant influence and even become lifesavers. A young woman from Texas proved this a few days ago when she organized help for a fellow player – nearly 6,000 km away.
What happened? Aidan Jackson (17) from England was playing a game with one of his online acquaintances, Dia Lethora (20) from Texas. After a while, Aidan stated that he was feeling “weird” and wanted to lie down for a moment. He turned the microphone toward his bed so they could still talk. However, Aidan stopped responding after a short time.
Dia reacted promptly and suspected that the sudden silence could be a seizure. She immediately searched for emergency numbers in Cheshire. Although she knew Aidan’s address, she did not have his phone number. So she contacted the emergency services nearly 6,000 km away. She is said to have said:
Hi, I am calling from the United States, I am currently in a conversation with a friend. He had a seizure and is unresponsive now. I have his address; he lives in Widnes, Cheshire. (…)
Communication while gaming can also contribute to saving lives – along with many other positive influences for gamers.
Where were Aidan’s parents? While the police and paramedics were on their way to Aidan’s house, his parents were unaware of the incident. They were further down in the house. Since Aidan kept his bedroom door locked, they didn’t hear anything suspicious.
When the police knocked on the door and explained to the parents that there should be an unresponsive young man, everyone rushed upstairs to find Aidan, who had indeed had a seizure. He was later taken to the hospital.
Why Aidan suffers from these seizures is still unclear. So far, he has only been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (a form of autism) and ADHD.
In the hospital, Aidan used his mother’s tablet and thanked Dia “at least 5 to 10 times” and again “every time he sees her”.
In the future, Aidan must keep his bedroom door open while playing.
A beautiful story with a happy ending. Would you have reacted as well in such a situation?
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