AN online gaming session ended in a life-saving emergency call from across the Atlantic to help Widnes teenager Aidan Jackson.

The 17-year-old suffered a dangerous seizure in his bedroom and was saved by his online gaming friend - who lives 5,000 miles away in Texas.

Parents Caroline and Steve were watching TV downstairs as the drama unfolded on January 2 and unaware that anything was wrong, until two police cars with flashing lights arrived outside.

Police told Caroline and Steve they had received a call from America, informing them that someone in the house was seriously unwell.

They rushed upstairs and found Aidan in his bedroom, in the grip of a seizure, severely disorientated and not fully conscious of his surroundings.

He still had his headset on, and his American friend Dia - a 21-year-old woman - was still online in conversation with him.

Worried after their conversation suddenly stopped dead, and suspected Aidan, who she has never met, had taken ill.

Dia scoured the internet for the correct emergency service number for Widnes, and eventually discovered the right contact detail.

Aidan, who has raised thousands of pounds for life-saving defibrillators to be installed in his home town, was rushed to hospital in an ambulance for numerous tests and discharged the day.

Caroline, told Runcorn & Widnes World: "Huge thanks to Dia for recognising that Aidan needed help and doing everything she could to ensure that he got the help he needed.

"Aidan is now waiting for a follow up hospital appointment and we have ensured that his friend has our contact numbers should they be needed in the future.

"We can't thank Dia and the emergency services enough for what they did, considering the 4750 miles between Dia and Aidan it is absolutely amazing to think that Aidan took ill at approximately 9pm and help arrived at roughly 9.40pm.

"Aidan would like to thank everyone involved for helping him when he was ill and he is recovering well.

"We always say to the kids, be careful who you speak to online, but in this case, it was invaluable."

Recalling the terrifying ordeal Dia said: "I had just gotten home from running errands, just got back upstairs.

"I just put on my headset back on and I heard him choking and what I can only describe as a seizure, so obviously I started get worried and immediately started asking what was going on and if he was okay.

"When he didn't respond I instantly started to look up the emergency number for EU, found out I can't call the emergency from the US so I started to hunt down the non emergency for his area.

"Googled how to make calls over sea and dialled up the number.

"At first I believed I couldn't talk to a real person on that number so I started looking at articles about him to try and find his mum's number.

"When that didn't work I just had to hope the non emergency would work.

"It had an option for talking to a real person after going through a few of the other options and I can't tell you how quickly I clicked that button.

"Someone answered the call and I had to force myself not to panic and to stay calm, it takes longer to get help if they can’t understand me.

"I told him that I wasn't from the EU and I was trying to get help for my friend who had just had a seizure, that I have his name and address.

"They transferred me to the emergency line and I told the operator the information.

"They told me they were going to send an ambulance, right after I hung up I heard him finally responding.

"His mum had come to check on him and he had no idea he had just had a seizure, he doesn't even recall having that conversation with me or his mum.

"I was almost sobbing when I told him that I had to call the ambulance to come get him because I was scared that he was hurt.

"He didn't seem to understand and just responded with a simple, "okay".

"The most surreal thing was hearing his mum come upstairs with the medical team, hearing them talk to him, asking if he’s doing okay, saying that I had just called them saying he had a seizure.

"I was really scared and worried but I'm glad I stayed level headed enough to call the emergency and get him checked out.

"It's better safe than sorry."