The city council of Aurora, Illinois, honored a nine-year-old girl who saved her mother’s life after calling 911.
Aria was completing her homework and talking to her mom, Caron, when suddenly Caron passed out, Fox 32 reported. She told Aria to call her dad, which Aria did, but Caron insisted she was only dizzy and would be fine, CBS reported. When Aria’s dad offered to come home, Aria told him she could handle the situation.
Caron quickly got worse and blacked out. Thinking fast, Aria unlocked her mom’s phone and called 911, WREX reported. She explained to the operator that her mom was unconscious. The operator sent ambulances to the house and stayed on the line with Aria, who continued to monitor her mom’s condition.
“You’re my little nurse, and you’re my little angel.”
Aurora, IL honors local 9-year-old, Aria Lamen, who made a 911 call that saved her mother’s life.
Aria’s poise under pressure on @cbschicago tonight at 10 pic.twitter.com/LHyBAzDQ1X
— Sara Machi (@saramachi) March 14, 2023
After the incident, Aria told CBS News she had been frightened and nervous because she “didn’t want my mom to get into serious trouble while she’s on the floor and I’m home alone.”
Despite the stressful situation, Aria effectively communicated with 911. “She handled herself better than most adults would,” Aurora Dispatcher Traci Whalen, who has 30 years of experience as a 911 operator, told Fox 32. “It was one of the best calls in my career.”
Aria’s mother spent 16 days in the hospital before returning home. “I’m just so proud of her. I could not be here today had it not been for her courage and calmness,” Caron said, the outlet reported.
At a special city council meeting held for Women’s History Month, Aria received special recognition for her bravery in crisis, according to a tweet by CBS Chicago reporter Sara Machi.