Agonising moment paramedic receives a call to say HER teenage daughter is being rushed to hospital after a fall during filming for the BBC show Ambulance

• Paramedic in BBC’s Ambulance received a call about her daughter while on duty
• Natalie Greaves’ 16-year-old daughter has cerebral palsy and had had a fall
• The tearful telephone call was captured on camera during routine filming  
• She was rushed in on her sixteenth birthday and was told she had an infection

The agonising moment a paramedic learned her own daughter was being rushed to hospital was caught on camera during routine filming for the BBC show Ambulance.  

Natalie Greaves, 34, was on duty in Birmingham when she received a call about her daughter Jessica, who has cerebral palsy, to let her know the teenager – who turned 16 that same day – had had a fall. 

Natalie’s tearful phone call, which aired during Thursday night’s show, prompted sympathetic viewers to tweet that their hearts were ‘in their mouths’ watching what the mother’s visible panic. 

The paramedic rushed to be at Jessica’s beside as she was seen to by specialists, before returning to work mere hours later when Jessica was comfortable. 

Fans of the show said the mother’s ‘palpable shock’ was tough to watch, and many said they’d been moved to tears by Natalie’s strength. 

Natalie Greaves, 34, a paramedic in BBC’s Ambulance had to rush to hospital to be with her teenage daughter

Natalie’s daughter Jessica has cerebral palsy, and the paramedic juggles caring for her with her busy career

Viewers took to Twitter to say they were in tears watching BBC’s Ambulance when one paramedic had to deal with a horrifying 999 call

Natalie and her ambulance partner, also called Nat, were on their rounds driving emergency patients in the Birmingham area when she received the call about Jessica’s fall.

She learned that Jessica wasn’t responding and her body had gone floppy, and another ambulance was on the way to take her on the 30 minute journey to the hospital where her specialist is based.

Nat drove Natalie to the hospital, fortunately just six miles from where they were parked, to sit and wait for her daughter.

One viewer said: ‘I’m sure I’m not the only one tearing up watching #Ambulance, absolutely heartbreaking to watch, can’t begin to imagine what that lady must be going through.’

Another tweeted their hope for Jessica’s swift recovery: ‘I hope Nat’s daughter Jessica is ok I’m crying right now as well, my heart goes out to Nat. Please let her be alright.’

‘Oh my heart is breaking for Nat #ambulance is a tough watch, couldn’t imagine how Nat is feeling,’ said a third.

‘The shock is palpable. Brave lady for letting what was routine filming continue,’ added another. 

The show didn’t capture Jessica’s time in hospital, but viewers watched as Natalie returned to work just hours later on her night shift after getting virtually no sleep. 

It was the worst moment of the paramedic’s life when she received the call that her daughter was unresponsive

Jessica, who was celebrating her 16th birthday that day, has cerebral palsy and had suffered a fall, leaving her unconscious

Others were praying that Jessica would recover, sharing that they were ‘sobbing’ while watching the show

Natalie was driven to Jessica’s specialist hospital by her ambulance partner Nat and the pair had a nervous wait outside

The mum-of-three admitted that she is prepared to lose her daughter every day after she was told she wouldn’t live very long

WHAT IS CEREBRAL PALSY? 

Cerebral palsy is the umbrella term for a number of brain conditions that affect movement and coordination.

Specifically, it is caused by a problem in the parts of the brain responsible for controlling muscles.

The condition can occur if the brain develops abnormally or is damaged before, during or shortly after birth.

It’s estimated that 764,000 children and adults in the US have one or more symptoms of the disorder.

The CDC says that about 10,000 babies born every year will develop cerebral palsy.

There’s no cure for cerebral palsy, but some treatments are available to ease symptoms, such as physiotherapy.

Life expectancy is usually unaffected, however, the emotional and physical strain can put a great deal of stress on the body which can cause further problems in later life. 

Natalie said of juggling motherhood with her life as a paramedic: ‘If I had every day off that Jessica [was ill] I wouldn’t have been at work for about three months. If she was in [hospital] I would be there. She’s got the nurses with her.’

Jessica was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as her brain was starved of oxygen at birth.

Natalie had been told that it wasn’t likely that she would live very long, so her sixteenth birthday was a special milestone for them.

The mum-of-three said: ‘After Jessica’s birth she was given to me and I was told this would be the first and last time I would hold her alive. I wasn’t supposed to have her a day, I [wasn’t] supposed to have her two days.

‘If somebody had said to me you’re going to have her for 16 years I’d have just been over the moon with that.’

Jessica had been diagnosed with an infection but was deemed well enough to go home and be looked after by nurses.

More than 15 years later, hospital visits are commonplace for the family, and Natalie said she had done her best to prepare herself for the possibility of losing her daughter at a young age because of her start in life.   

‘I’m always in preparation of losing her, thinking ”Is it going to be today? Is it going to be tomorrow? Can I plan something in a month’s time because Jessica might not be here in a month?”

Natalie was back to work just hours later as she said she didn’t want to take time off when Jessica was being looked after

Natalie was inspired to train as a paramedic after she was impressed by the care they gave her daughter

She had been told that the first time she held Jessica would be the last time as doctors expected she wouldn’t live long. Nat shared this image with viewers at the end of the show saying Jessica was doing well

‘You grieve for that life she should have had and then you come to acceptance and accepting that this is how life is now. This is Jessica, this is our family this is our life.’

Natalie revealed that she had actually trained to be a paramedic because of the help they gave her when her daughter had an emergency.

She said: ‘Initially what set me down the path was that I’d used 999 for Jessica. I just admired what they did, not only for Jessica, but for us as her mum and her dad and sisters. 

‘They supported us as a family and I thought ”I could do that, that’s something I’d love to do.”’

Ambulance airs Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One 

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