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Dylan Murphy's story

Without St John, my mum wouldn’t be here anymore

Dylan, 15, saved his mum’s life when she suddenly collapsed at home.
A photograph of Dylan and his mum. Dylan's wearing his St John uniform.

Trudi: I had just come home from the doctors when I stopped still in the front room, an intense pain suddenly spreading through my entire body. I remember looking at the kitchen door, thinking I needed to get there. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor with the green and black uniforms of paramedics surrounding me.

Dylan: I’m my mum’s registered carer and was upstairs in my bedroom when I heard the beeping of her stairlift, a sign that it hadn’t returned properly. When I went out to investigate, I saw my mum, face down on the floor.

Seeing my mum on the floor unconscious and not breathing is something I never thought I would see and having to do CPR is something that I never expected to do. I can’t explain how scared I was and how stressful it was knowing that I might not ever be able to see or speak to my mum again.

I hurried down the stairs and turned my mum over, calling 999. They told me to perform CPR. It was truly the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced, and without St John I would have no clue what I was doing.

I was scared that if I didn't do it right, I might not see my mum again, like I might not have her back. It was scary.

Trudi: Once I realised what Dylan had done, I just remember bursting into tears and crying like mad.

Dylan: I wasn’t allowed to go with my mum to intensive care because I was underage. I had to wait at home for hours on my own, not getting any responses to my texts or calls, not knowing how my mum was doing. It was a massive relief when I heard that she was going to be okay.

I joined St John Ambulance because I wanted to be able to take care of my mum, who has several autoimmune conditions, including multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia and functional neurological disorder. Only a month or two after joining, I was able to use that training to save her life.

I believe without St John, my mum wouldn’t be here anymore. They gave me the confidence to act in the face of danger. I don’t know what I would have done without them. They are so amazing and without such amazing teachers to explain everything, encourage me, and help me to learn first aid, I don’t think I would have been able to help my mum.

Dylan has rightly been recognised by St John Ambulance for his remarkable actions with a Young Achievers nomination.

A selfie of Dylan and his mum. A large rock and blue sky can be seen in the background.

I believe without St John, my mum wouldn’t be here anymore. They gave me the confidence to act in the face of danger. I don’t know what I would have done without them.

Dylan Murphy