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Subscribe to RSSFrankie, a first-grader from New Jersey, is credited with saving his mother's life by placing a 911 call after she went into respiratory arrest from a severe asthma attack. WCAU-TV's Cydney Long reports.
It's been a busy month for Frankie Ford Jr.
The Commercial Township, N.J., first-grader is credited with saving his mother's life after she went into respiratory arrest from a severe asthma attack on Jan. 19, reported NBCPhiladelphia.com. Since then, Frankie has received a hero's plaque from the local 911 dispatch unit, a brand new bike, and some time in the media spotlight. But the best gift has been his mom's health.
"He's my little hero," Debbie Ford, who has fully recovered since the incident, told NBCPhiladelphia.com on Monday. "I wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for him."
It was 7:15 a.m. on that school morning in January when Frankie, the oldest of three boys, noticed something was wrong with his mom. His father had already left for work, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported, so Frankie picked up the phone and called 911.
"Please... my mom's dying," Frankie cried.
The 911 operator was able to hear Ford in the background, gurgling. She asked Frankie how old he was.
"I'm six years old," a panicked Frankie is heard saying.
At one point, he offered to do chest compressions.
"I got pump for you?" Frankie is heard asking on the 911 call. “My mom, for you? My mom -- my hands on her heart.”
"OK, can you feel anything?" the operator asked him.
As Frankie continued to talk with the 911 dispatcher, Ford was able to mumble the family's address as she gasped for air. Frankie stayed on the line as emergency crews rushed to their home, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported.
"I was feeling pretty scared and sad," Frankie said on Monday. He said he told the 911 operator, "My mom can't breathe and I need your help."
Just in time
When EMTs arrived, they found Ford in her bed. She had a pulse, but wasn't breathing, said NBCPhiladelphia.com.
“I was terrified,” Laurel Lake Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company EMT Veronica Trio said. “I was really afraid that she was not going to make it. A couple more minutes and she would have gone into cardiac arrest.”
Ford was rushed to South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center in Vineland, N.J., and put on a ventilator, reported TheDailyJournal.com. About a week later, she was discharged, and Trio, the EMT, reached out to the family to see how Ford was doing - and to tell them that the Laurel Lake Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company wanted to honor Frankie.
Last Monday, the Fords watched as Frankie received a wooden plaque from the fire company, an award acknowledging his "courage and quick thinking in calling 911, saving his mother's life," reported TheDailyJournal.com.
Robert Curry, a member of the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company, told TheDailyJournal.com that Frankie might not appreciate the plaque until he was older -- and suggested they present him with another award: A blue BMX mongoose bike. The crew wheeled it out for him and Frankie jumped on the seat, reported TheDailyJournal.com.
Frankie doesn't talk about the rescue, but according to TheDailyJournal.com, wrote this in a thank you note to the EMTs: “Dear Ambulance People, Thank you for saving my mom. When I grow up and get big, I want to be a ambulance person too.”
A call to the EMTs from msnbc.com was not returned.
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News
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I needed this to read this morning. With all the crap thats going on for me to read about an authentic HERO is just awesome. May he grow up to be the man he is on track to becoming.
Way to go Frankie! What a good story with a positive outcome.
Good job Frankie! We're all so proud of you, our little hero :)
What a nice story to read!
This is indeed a happy ending...I have to wonder why the child was given a plaque and a bike for doing just what he should have done. The same thing happened recently with a teenager who saved a man in the ocean who was in distress, and he was also showered with gifts.
We should be teaching our children to do what is right because it is the right thing to do..not because we will receive gifts for doing the right thing.
Helen, I doubt sincerely that this little boy did the right thing because he thought he'd get a bike out of it! I don't know about the teenager, but little kids especially need positive reenforcement when they do something right. This little boy will remember this forever and it is surely an event that will shape the person he is to become. As you can see, he wants to be an "ambulance person" now because he has positive impressions of them. They saved his mom AND gave him a bike! He deserves to be rewarded and needs to be encouraged by adults to continue doing the right thing.
Helen, they are not be rewarded for doing the right thing, they are being rewarded for bravery under duress.
great story. Even better outcome
what a handsome little boy, so proud of him!!
Wow, what an awesome child! And a lovely story. My God continue to bless this family:=)
What a smart and brave little boy. Makes me tear up. Proud of you, little man.
Wow, what an awesome young man! Great ending to a story that could have ended so badly. May God continue to bless this family:-)
I can't see very well to type this. Tears in my eyes. We should all be so lucky to have a child like this in our lives. How proud his family must be. Way to go!
Awww, so glad this had a happy ending!!! and his little note is so cute =)
This is the kind of news I like to see. Great Job Frankie!
Great job little guy! Kids should be taught how to use any type of phone (cell, regular phones etc.) Parents should at least let their kids know what to do and what to say in case of an emergency. I take medication that might cause me to seize (hopefully it doesn't happen) I gave my child a demo of what I may look like when I seize and what to tell 911 just in case. Nobody is perfect, it may not be what I will look like if I do but at least it is something that they know is not normal and should get help.
We never learned these kinds of things when I was a kid. My 6 year old grandson knows his address, moms phone, dads phone, nana's phone, papa's phone, how to use a cell phone, calling 911, stanger danger etc.
WAY TO GO FRANKIE. YOU'RE THE BEST
When I was 3 or 4 years old, my mom had an eptopic pregnancy and I had to call 911 or she would have died and I never got rewarded for saving my moms life and it was never in the media! Seems as though there is so much bad in the world anymore that if someone does something good that we feel the need to let everyone know. Good job to the little boy for being his mom's hero though!
It's not just good things, EVERYTHING is reported more now. Stories like this used to be local paper stories at most. Now they're national news. Same with the other side of the coin, kids getting hurt or killed or going missing. I'm sorry you didn't get the recognition you deserved, but it disturbs me a bit that you say you "never got rewarded for saving your mom's life." You got your MOM! I bet if you asked Frankie if he'd rather have his mom or the bike, he'd choose mom. And if your parents didn't thank you and tell you that you did something wonderful and maybe didn't buy you a stuffed animal or something, then I'm sorry, they absolutely should have. But at the very least you got your mom, and that's what really matters here.
Before you read that comment out of context, what I meant was that I never thought about the NEED to be rewarded! I was 3 or 4 years old! All I meant was that it seems that anymore we feel the need to reward all deeds with material items! My parents still to this day talk about how I "saved my mom's life" and that is all I need.
That's great! I DID have a different idea of what you meant. Like I've said earlier, kids need positive reenforcement when they do the right thing. He wasn't doing it for a bike, but the fact that his parents and the "ambulance people" he looked up to gave him these honors will really stick with him through his life. He will hopefully continue making good choices because of it.
Frankie most certainly didn't ask for anything. The only thing he stated to us (his family) was "he didn't want another mommy". He is reminded everyday that he is his moms hero by his mom, dad and family. but mainly his mom. NOONE knows what that little boy went through that morning. And no amount of gifts or anything else can change the way he was feeling and going through at that moment the only thing our family wants is to turn this neg. situation into something a little more positive for him. And NO we did not at all contact the media the EMTs wanted to award him and from our understanding one of the local firefighters wanted to give him a bike. His parents are still getting calls from other news stations and they are declining to speak to them as they really don't want him to have to keep reliving the way he felt. It breaks all of our hearts but mainly his moms. He is a very smart kid that did a very heroic thing and yes I do feel what he has recieved he earned.He still has his mommy. Any child such as yourself and my nephew should be rewarded for such a HUGE thing for such young kids. And for all of you that have stupid comments to make post them on your facebook pages so him and his parents don't have to see all the stupid things like apparently he called 911 screaming for them to save his mom b/c shes dyeing because he knew that someone was going to buy him a freakn bike. Really how stupid can grown adults be.This little boy is 6 years old called 911 to save his mom and even wanted to do chest compressions to save her himself bc he DIDN'T WANT HER TO DIE. Deb and Frank bravo raising my nephews and neices. I'm proud to call him a TRUE HERO.
nice job little man. glad moms going to be alright.....sure hope she has insurance. 7 days in a hospital is a big bill, period.
Finally a "Feel Good" story instead of all the depressing news lately about domestic issues.
Way to go Frankie!
Very smart and brave kid.
The best part of the whole story is when he asked the 911 operator if he could perform chest pumps. That's one great kid that was going to fight to the end to save his mom! Way to go!
Young children should also be aware that they can dial '0' for the operator in an emergency, just in case there is a busy signal at 911 (especially in smaller towns.) This can happen and the '0' operator is able to check for alternate #access in this event.
For youngsters, remembering '0' may be a lot easier than memorizing a 3-digit number. If there is ever a reason the caller disconnects or leaves the phone, the emergency operator can call the telephone operator for verification and confirm what information was relayed between the caller and '0.'
Glad to hear this young man's mother survived, what a great little guy!
Another 1: I have speed dial on our home phone - and programmed "1" to be 911, exactly for this reason. When my oldest son was 4 he called 911 for me when I had a severe asthma attack - his action saved my life then. Earlier that week, I explained to him that if there was an emergency, he was to press and hold 1 until the phone dialed and to talk to the person on the line - they would send help.
This story made me cry, what a brave little guy and kuddos to mom who probably at some point, explained him how to use 911. Sometimes we don't realize how mature and amazing our kids are and then something like this happens and they remind us that they do listen and learn. What a great example!
What a brave little boy!!! Such a beautiful story.. wish there were more of these! It brought tears to my eyes!
What a great story. Kudos to the kid. And much gratitude to all those "ambulance people" - some paid, some volunteers - who rush to save us when called.
Way to go Frankie!!!!! Yayyyyy!!!!!