A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD girl has been hailed a "Little Angel" after saving her mum's life.

Brave Jennifer Lloyd prevented her mum, Amanda, from falling into a life-threatening diabetic coma after she collapsed at home in Glebelands Road.

The youngster, who is very poorly herself with a serious illness, managed to keep her mum warm with towels, increased her blood sugar level with sweets and telephoned for help.

Amanda (41), a qualified nurse and occupational health advisor, said: Jenny was so desperately ill herself. She was alone and frightened but still had enough in her to sort me out.

"If she hadn't done what she did, it would have been a different story altogether. She saved my life that day, she's my little angel."

Jenny, a pupil at St Mary's Primary in Prestwich, had been allowed home from Fairfield Hospital for the weekend when her mum fell ill.

A few weeks before, she had contracted a virus and was later diagnosed with polyglandular Addison's disease. As a result, her heart and bowel were affected, her adrenal and thyroid glands were damaged beyond repair and the little girl is on medication for the rest of her life.

On the morning of her collapse, Amanda was at home with Jenny drying her hair upstairs. Husband Bob and son Thomas (11) had left to spend the day at Sedgley Park Rugby Club where Thomas plays for the junior team.

Amanda had had her usual injection of insulin but had forgotten to eat breakfast when she began to feel herself going into a deep state of hypoglycaemia.

I remember Jenny coming into the bedroom asking me what was wrong," said Amanda.

I slurred nothing and she ran off downstairs frightened. I went after her and tripped down the stairs, hitting every step on the way down!"

Lying in the hallway, Amanda was conscious but unable to move or speak properly.

Without being told, Jenny ran to the sweetie drawer in the kitchen and fed her mum jelly beans to try and get her blood sugar level up.

She gathered rugs and towels from the bathroom and washing from the radiators to act as blankets.

The youngster also tried to contact her dad on his mobile phone.

Amanda said: Jenny looked in the directory at the side of the phone but stupidly, I had written down the number with a digit missing.

She eventually used my mobile to ring Bob and asked him to come home quickly."

Jenny and Amanda's trauma lasted around two hours as the youngster sat and stroked her mum's head, but as soon as Bob got the message he was home within minutes and was able to give Amanda a quick-acting dextrose gel to stabilise her.

Amanda said: Jenny's confidence was knocked due to her illness and she was sobbing while I was on the floor but we have such a special bond.

We now have a plan of action in place so she knows exactly what to do if it happens again.