999. It is a number many won't ever have to ring and a call nobody ever wants to have to make.

But for nine-year-old Tidworth girl Maisie Duck, it was that quick-thinking 999 call that helped save the life of her mum Carly over the weekend.

On July 7, Carly had a molar extracted due to two abscesses in and around a tooth. The next day she started to feel ill but did not think much of it at the time.

Her health declined and Thursday saw her take the day off work after she felt sick, dizzy, and feverish.

"Days follow on and I can taste an infection and a lot of nastiness in my mouth despite following the aftercare rules," she told the Advertiser.

"Saturday morning comes, and I fight my way through work as I love my job working with horses and I don’t like to be seen as weak."

But things quickly declined for Carly. Come 1pm that day she was hallucinating and having trouble breathing.

She tried messaging people for help, but her body just would not let her.

"This is where my brave and courageous nine-year-old daughter steps in," Carly added.

"She’s by my side whilst all this is happening. I can just about turn her and point to the phone to which she automatically knows to dial 999.

"This little nine-year-old literally saved my life as I know people have sadly died from sepsis not caught in time.

"She stayed on the phone to the most helpful lady who told her exactly what to do until the ambulance turned up."

Maisie recalls it happening in a flash.

Andover Advertiser:

"It went bad really quickly," the year four student at Clarendon Junior School said.

"I was talking to mum the whole time, just trying to make her feel calm. It was scary."

Family friend Dawn Hubble lives just down the road and remembers receiving a confused message from Carly asking her to come over as they had just called 999.

"When I arrived, her kids were waiting for me at the door and the first responder had just arrived," Dawn said.

"Maisie explained that her mummy was poorly and wasn’t making sense and that she had called an ambulance.

"When I got to the house Carly was barely conscious and not making any sense. Maisie was very upset and was concerned that Carly had Covid and she asked me if her mummy was going to die. I just reassured her that she was really brave and had done the right thing

"She was very good to call 999, I don’t think a lot of children would have."

And where did that live-saving instinct to call the ambulance stem from?

Maisie said it came from a classroom visit nearly two years prior.

"In year 2 the paramedics came to our school," she finished.

"During that they were telling us what to do if something happens and to call 999 if there is an emergency."