Glenrothes teen named Young First Aid Hero after saving grandad's life

Alexis Mackie, 14, won the award at the St Andrew’s First Aid hosted 11th annual Scottish First Aid Awards.

Alexis and her family were on a walk in the Lomond Hills in January last year when her grandad suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed. Using her training, she was able to step in to support him. Alexis pulled him to safety away from the ravine that he would have otherwise fallen into, and managed to protect his head as he fell to the ground. She continued to look after him while her younger brother Lachlan ran to get help.

On arrival at the scene, the Scottish Ambulance Service told Alexis that her grandad would not have survived had it not been for her quick reactions and knowledge of first aid on that day.

Alexis said: “I am extremely proud to be recognised as St Andrew’s First Aid’s Young First Aid Hero. Although it was a horrible situation to experience, I am really thankful that I was with my grandad that day and knew what to do through my first aid training. Looking back, it was very scary, but at the time I had to put the fear to one side so I could stay calm and focused on how best to support him and make sure he was ok.”

Stuart Callison, chief executive of St Andrew’s First Aid, paid tribute to Alexis and highlighted it as an example of the importance of learning first aid skills.

He said: “Alexis’ story goes to show the importance of first aid skills and knowledge from a young age. At just 14, she can proudly say she has responded to an emergency in a calm and collected way, which ultimately ended with an amazing result in saving the life of her grandad.

“It is a privilege to be able to recognise young people like Alexis at our awards, who dedicate time, effort and energy to expanding their awareness and understanding the importance of being prepared for any situation life may bring.”