HE did what many 'normal' kid wouldn't. Dwellyn Packard (8), an autistic child, gave a new lease of life to his 70-year-old grandmother Barbara.

Dwellyn, the autistic child who saved his grandmother PIC/ ATUL KAMBLE

On the night of June 24, while Dwellyn's parents had left for work, he was in his room while his grandmother was watching television. A sudden thud alerted Dwellyn, who rushed out to find Barbara on the floor, panting and sweating. She was suffering the beginnings of a cardiac arrest. Dwellyn, who struggles to utter words, was quick to understand that something was wrong with his grandmother. He rushed downstairs and started frantically banging on a neighbour's door.

Realising something was wrong, neighbour Anjana Pisal rushed to his house and with the assistance of other residents, got the grandmother shifted to a nearby hospital, where she is recuperating.

Doctors said that Barbara was brought in at the nick of time. It was only when she came to her senses that Barbara narrated the entire incident. Daryl and Donita, Dwellyn's parents, are proud of their son. "I know what my son is capable of. I couldn't believe that he could have done this. He doesn't understand emotions. If he saw that someone had fallen, he would just stare and then walk away. This time, he reacted quickly and his act has saved the life of his grandmother. My son is really a special child for me," said the emotional father.

With inputs from Rane Ashish