A MOTHER who owes her life to her nine-year-old son said she was glad she had taught him what to do in an emergency.

Brandon Trafford was last night praised for saving his mum Liza’s life when she collapsed at their home in Barton, Oxford, after eating a spring roll and suffering an allergic reaction.

The Bayards Hill Primary School pupil knew that Mrs Trafford’s allergy to sesame seed was potentially fatal.

And he quickly dialled 999 when she collapsed on Wednesday night.

He told the ambulance service about her mum’s allergy, her age, name and their address.

His father Mike, a lorry driver, was out at work at the time.

Mrs Trafford said: “I’m really proud of Brandon.

I’ve said to him I have an allergy, because I’ve had reactions before, so I sat with him and said ‘if mummy goes like this you have to phone 999 and ask for an ambulance’.

“But he’s never had to do that before.

“Brandon gave all the information he was asked for by the control people and he knew all the details. I felt like he had it under control.”

Brandon added: “I told them, ‘please hurry up, my mummy is really, really ill and I don’t want her to die.

“She was really poorly. I haven’t seen her like that before.

“I didn’t go to school, because it’s making me upset.”

Paramedics who responded to Brandon’s 999 call took Mrs Trafford to the John Radcliffe Hospital where doctors kept her under observation until early yesterday.

The mum-of-one, who has suffered seven similar attacks in the past, is careful to check food labels but the 42-year-old Oxford University PA had not noticed sesame seed oil listed in the ingredients of the spring roll. As a result she went into anaphylactic shock, an over- reaction by the body to foods or medicines the immune system has wrongly identified as a threat. The reaction is potentially life-threatening and causes between 20 and 30 deaths a year in the UK, although the majority of sufferers recover after treatment with adrenaline.

Other common triggers are insect stings, nuts, milk, shellfish and some antibiotics.

Lindsey McManus, of the charity Allergy UK, said: “Brandon has probably saved his mum’s life. Without immediate intervention, anaphylaxis for some people can be fatal.

“What this little lad has done is pretty amazing and it just goes to show how important it is to give the right advice to those around you.”

A South Central Ambulance service spokesman said: “Anaphylactic shock can range from itchy skin and hives to full-blown airway problems.

“We commend Brandon for his prompt action in helping us to help his mum.”