The incredible moment a brave five-year-old girl helped save her ill father’s life after he lost pints of blood has been relived by her proud parents – who have urged others to teach their children life-saving techniques.

Little Lyra Copete sprang into action when her dad Ian, who was born with kidney failure and is currently on dialysis while waiting for a transplant, suddenly started bleeding profusely from a fistula in his arm.

A fistula is where an artery is connected to a vein to make the blood vessel larger and stronger – making it easier for those on dialysis to transfer their blood into a dialysis machine and back again.

Teacher Ian was at his High Wycombe home on September 4 – the day before he was due to start back at St Mary’s School in Farnham Royal for the new term – when he started haemorrhaging while after using his dialysis machine.

Ian and his wife Heather said the blood was spurting out so much it covered the furniture and walls in their home.

While Heather was trying to stem the bleeding, Lyra, who attends the same school her father teaches at, remained calm and set about trying to help – fetching towels and helping her mum to call 999.

Heather said: “She went to get some kitchen towel and then to get my phone. Because it opens with face recognition she held it up to me so I could unlock it. Ian was losing a lot of blood – I had one hand trying to put pressure on the wound to stem the bleeding and the other was holding a tourniquet around Ian’s arm.

“This little girl was just so amazing. She went to look for the ambulance, she got the door open and she waited for them to arrive. She was so good – she stayed so calm, she was holding Ian’s hand in the ambulance.”

Ian was rushed to the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, where he underwent emergency surgery that night – and two more the next day – to stabilise him.

Ian, who has had 49 surgeries throughout his life, added: “Lyra was brilliant. In the hospital she was talking to me and offering me cheese sandwiches to make me feel better. Ninety-five per cent of people die from this – but from Lyra to the paramedics and the surgeons – everyone was incredible.

”The team were lovely with Lyra and fantastic with me.”

Heather, an ex-nurse, said all children should be taught how to react in an emergency situation – and urged parents to pass on their skills.

She said: “Lyra has grown up knowing her dad is ill. She has seen Ian using his dialysis machine her entire life, but anyone could have a haemorrhage, whether you have kidney failure or not, so it’s so important to know what to do in that situation.

“Kids are really technologically with it these days, so they should be taught what to do in an emergency. The doctors were so impressed with what Lyra had done.”

Paul Bristow, interim chief executive of charity Kidney Care UK, said: “What Lyra did was amazing; we can’t imagine what it must be like to see a parent so unwell and in so much distress but the fact she remained calm and undoubtedly played a part in saving his life is just incredible.

“There are around 30,000 people like Ian in the UK on dialysis, a life sustaining treatment for kidney disease. Kidney disease doesn’t just affect the person who has it; it has an impact on their work life, friendships and family life too.

“Family are such a vital support network for kidney patients but what Lyra did was to go above and beyond for her father; she really is a little kidney warrior.”