A KIND-HEARTED paramedic went above and beyond to look after an autistic boy during an anxious visit to the hospital.

Ciara Mitchell felt ‘very nervous’ to take her three-year-old son Isaac to Furness General Hospital after an accident.

Isaac had been rushing out of his bedroom in his home in Vulcan Road when he accidentally ripped part of his toenail off.

Ciara took Isaac to the A&E department where the family was told there may be over a three-hour wait before he would be seen.

The 22-year-old feared Isaac – who has autism – may struggle with a long wait in new surroundings.

She said: “His autism is quite severe – it affects his day-to-day life. When we were told we may be in the waiting room for three and a half hours, I thought this just wouldn’t have been possible with Isaac.

“He gets very unsettled in new surroundings and would’ve really struggled.

“I explained to the receptionist that Isaac would react very badly in this situation.

“We went outside to try and calm Isaac down when a paramedic came over and asked if he was autistic.

“She said she has someone in her family with special needs and offered Isaac to sit in her ambulance.

“She put the lights on and kept him entertained. She helped me too because I was feeling quite anxious. She spoke to the hospital and I didn’t have to do anything.

“All the stimulation of the ambulance and lights really helped Isaac take his mind off his foot. He loved the blue lights. She also took us around the car park for a spin which Isaac loved.”

The paramedic arranged for a doctor to assess Isaac and delayed starting her shift to look after the anxious family.

Ciara said: “The paramedic – I think her name was Maya – got a doctor from triage to assess him in the ambulance. He wouldn’t actually let anyone look at his foot apart from her so she did a quick assessment.

“We were told just to keep an eye on it. She had just come onto her shift and delayed everything so she could focus on us. She was just amazing.

“We were so grateful. I have been trying to contact the hospital to say thank you but haven’t managed to get anywhere with it.

“What we really thought would be an awful experience at the hospital was actually quite a pleasant one.”