Who says an online friend can’t be there for you IRL (in real life)?
A U.S. woman gave her U.K. gaming friend a much-needed assist earlier this month after she noticed he was having a seizure and called his local police department to get help.
Dia Lathora, 20, of Texas, says she noticed something was wrong when Aidan Jackson, 17, started making odd sounds on his headset while the two were playing online games together. Jackson was playing from his bedroom in Widnes, England, where there was no one around to come to his aid.
“I could hear him seizing and breathing really hard, and it sounds like he was choking or crying,” Lathora told BBC News.
Lathora says she knew her buddy’s address but not his home phone number, so she rang up the police in Cheshire, England, and told them what was happening.
“I’m calling from the U.S. I’m currently on a call with my friend, he had a seizure and he’s not responding anymore,” she can be heard telling police in a call recording obtained by BBC News.
“Sorry, I’m shaking,” she adds, after providing Jackson’s address.
Jackson’s parents, Caroline and Steven Jackson, say they were watching TV downstairs at the time, totally unaware of what was happening to their son in his bedroom.
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“The next thing we noticed was two police cars outside with flashing lights,” Caroline told BBC. “I assumed they were in the area for another reason and then they ran up to the front door.”
Police told the Jacksons they’d received a call from the U.S. about an “unresponsive male” at their home.
“I immediately went to check on Aidan and found him extremely disorientated,” Caroline said.
The teen received medical attention for the episode, the Liverpool Echo reports. The Jacksons say he suffered an earlier seizure back in May, and they’ve scheduled an appointment to investigate the issue further.
Caroline and Steven say they’re glad someone was watching out for their son, even if it was from across the Atlantic Ocean.
“We are extremely thankful for what Dia did and shocked that we could be downstairs and not know anything was happening,” Caroline said.
“I thank her every day.”
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