Parents had no idea their son was having a seizure upstairs. His friend 5,000 miles away in the US did

On January 2, 2020, 17-year-old Aidan Jackson was playing an online game in his room in Widnes, England, with 20-year-old Dia Lathora from Texas. It was just a normal game night when Lathora realized something was wrong. She heard Jackson crying and choking in the background and was not responding to her, the BBC reported. His parents were downstairs and unaware of what was happening. Lathora, who was 5,000 miles away, did the only thing she could do and saved Jackson's life. Sky News covered the story, and the video received 4.2 million views, 111,000 likes, and 8,794 comments.

'I'm calling from the  

Aidan Jackson's parents were downstairs watching TV. They had no clue their son was having a seizure. Lathora, who was on the call with him, told the news outlet, "When he didn't respond, I instantly started to look up the emergency number for the EU. When that didn't work, I just had to hope the non-emergency would work." During the emergency call, Lathora explained to the Cheshire police, "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." Lathora's quick thinking, the ambulance and the police officers' prompt response made all the difference. His parents reported that they found him in an "extremely disoriented" state.

The first meeting

Apparently, Jackson had experienced a seizure in May 2019 and was waiting for another appointment. Caroline expressed how grateful she was to Lathora for saving her son's life. She said, "We are extremely thankful for what Dia did and shocked that we could be downstairs and not know anything was happening. Dia had our address but didn't have any contact numbers, so it was amazing she managed to get help from so far away." Jackson's mom also shared that he was doing better. A month after the incident, Jackson and Lathora were invited on the Tamron Hall Show, where they met each other for the first time. The moment they saw each other, they ran and shared an emotional hug.

Gaming friends

Most people don't take gaming or online friends as seriously as real-life friendships, but Jackson and Lathora proved otherwise. 50% of Americans revealed they had an online friend in a 2023 YouGov survey, but never met them in person. Scott Tang conducted an informal survey on online gaming friendships and found that 11.8% viewed gaming friendships as "superficial," while 11.8% believed they were real. 26.5% said gaming friendships could only grow if two individuals chose to stay "actively connected." The survey also revealed that 32.4% of the respondents found meaningful friendships through gaming, while 26.5% reported these friendships ended once they stopped playing.

 Trophy unlocked

People applauded Lathora's presence of mind in the comments. Several netizens used gaming lingo to praise her and give her 'awards' or 'achievements.' @SmoeStopMotion commented, "Platinum achievement unlocked: the sniper healer: heal a downed teammate from 6000 miles away using a phone." @ruthgiles8926 added, "Great that the police took her seriously! I can imagine some police forces assuming that it was some kind of hoax! So quick thinking of the girl to call the local (to him) police and remain calm enough to get the message across coherently and convincingly!"

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