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Jan 7, 2010 8:07 am US/Central
Girl Honored For Calmly Calling 911 For Mom
(WCCO)
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Sydney Gifford, right, met Allina 911 dispatcher Terri Hanson at Sydney's 10th birthday party. Sydney called 911 for her mother in September and Hanson answered her call.
CBS
A 10-year-old girl invited a special guest to her birthday party on Wednesday: the 911 dispatcher she called when her mother was having a seizure.
In September, Laura Gifford had a seizure after having a brain tumor removed. Her daughter, Sydney, found her lying in a closet and called 911.
"I knew you could only call when it was an emergency and I knew that was a really big emergency," Sydney said.
On Wednesday, Sydney met the woman who answered her phone call, Allina Hospitals and Clinics dispatcher Terri Hanson.
"You're such a brave girl," said Hanson. "She was just like what I pictured."
During the beginning of the call, you can hear Sydney crying. After about a minute or so, Hanson has calmed her down with a series of questions and suggestions on how to help her mom.
When Sydney told Hanson her two little sisters were scared, Hanson asked her to tell them to go look out the window.
Hanson: OK, Sydney, I need you to stay by your mom.
Sydney (to her sisters): OK, you guys look out the window, there's a car coming. It's going to be an ambulance. Go watch.
Hanson: Tell them they're going to have lights and sirens on.
Sydney: OK, I told them.
As Sydney and her sisters waited, Sydney's mother started to cry.
Hanson: What I need you to do, is I just want you to kneel down by her head and just say, 'Mommy, it's going to be OK, we've got help coming' because Mommy doesn't know what happened. Alright?
Sydney (whispering to her mother): Nothing bad is going to happen.
Hanson: Just tell her you're going to take care of her.
Sydney: (sniffle)
Hanson said Sydney handled herself better than most adults. In fact, Hanson went back to listen to the call because she was so surprised Sydney was just 9 years old that she thought she'd heard it wrong.
"It's pretty tricky when you have to, you know, maintain composure on a call and you have tears running down your face," Hanson said.
Sydney's mother called her daughter's actions amazing. She cried when the she heard the call, especially the part when Hanson tells Sydney to talk to her mom.
"How she handled that call, that's not just training, that's just a really, really great person," said Laura Gifford.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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