A 5-year-old did what many adults can’t even do in a crisis, thought on his feet and acted quickly.
Little Salvator Cicalese from Phoenix, Arizona went to the bathroom to find his mother unconscious in the bathtub. Trying to figure what to do, he ran to pick his two-month-old baby sister, wrapped her in a blanket, climbed on a stool to open the garage door and ran to his neighbor, asking for help.
The surprised neighbor couldn’t figure out the issue initially.
The little boy with his baby sister wrapped in his arms frantically knocked on his neighbor’s door. When she opened the door and he was frantically trying to explain what had happened, she could not quite understand what he was trying to say. But then Sal clarified. He said “My mom died in the shower. Can you take care of us.”
The neighbor, Jessica, wasted no time and immediately called 911 who rushed to their home to find Sal’s mother Kaitlyn unconscious in the shower. She had a seizure while taking a shower which caused her to blackout.
Little Sal – the hero
Had Sal not been prompt to alert his neighbor, his mother probably would have drowned in the water. His quick thinking saved his mother’s life. His bravery was so widely appreciated that the fire truck returned to give him the designation of “honorary firefighter.” He was given a certificate and a firefighter helmet. Sal was also allowed to go and sit on the truck. He was so excited!
Sal doesn’t stop asking his mom every day a million times if she’s going to be okay and whether she’s going to die, which obviously reflects how scared he was. Kaitlyn has to reassure him every time that she is okay. But his fear did not stop him from taking immediate action, and that is why he was given such an honor.
Kaitlyn can’t stop gushing about how grateful she is to her son for saving her life.
The firefighters also took this opportunity to raise awareness. They asked all parents to learn from this incident and to talk to their children about what to do in case of such an incident. All children should be taught how to dial 911 during an emergency.
These 10 heroic kids will put adults to shame
Chloe Olson
Chloe was just 5 when she noticed her mother choking on a potato chip. She immediately called 911 and told them what was happening. They instructed her to keep the door open and assured her that help was coming her way.
Anaiah Rucker
When Anaiah, 9, was going towards the bus stop, she noticed that a truck was about to hit her baby sister. Without wasting any time, she jumped in to rescue her 5 year old sister by pushing her away from danger. However, she couldn’t escape the impact and suffered critical injuries, including losing a leg. For her, this loss was nothing compared to what would have happened to her sister who would have lost her life in the accident.
Stuart Crang
Stuart’s father, a boatman, often allowed him to paddle as long as he stayed close to the shore. When Stuart, who’s 10, saw two people in the water, he rushed in to help. The couple was in the water for almost an hour. He helped to fix their boat so that it could stay afloat and took them to shore.
Riley Braden
5 year old Riley was in the pool swimming when she witnessed an 18 month baby fall in the water. There were no lifeguards on site and the parents weren’t close by. So, without a moment’s hesitation, she swam underwater and rescued the child herself. The little baby was shaken but nothing happened to her. Riley’s quick thinking saved her life and for that she was awarded.
Caleb Taylor
Caleb, 5, who was fast asleep inside the car, woke up to find his mother who was driving, was having a seizure. Without losing his cool, he took over the wheels and pulled the car over and then asked a passerby to call 911. He likes to call himself “Caleb Batman” and very rightly so!
Marcos Ugarte
When 14 year old Marcos and his father saw their neighbor’s house catch fire, they quickly planned a rescue mission. While the father held the ladder, Marcos climbed up and rescued 8 year old Cody Ma. He said he didn’t see this as a heroic act. His humility makes him an even bigger hero!
Jaden Kanka
Two armed men entered Jaden’s house to rob them. This 9 year old boy quickly went and hid in a closet. As soon as he heard his mother and her boyfriend trying to negotiate with the robbers, he escaped from the window in his bedroom and ran to his neighbor’s and told them what happened. They immediately called 911. The police were able to catch the robbers red-handed as they were still in his house when they arrived.
Piper Rolfe
10 year old Piper was playing with Irie, her friend, and her baby brother when a raccoon started attacking Irie. Piper, who is blind, took a stick, asked her friend to tell her the location of the animal and beat it until it let go of Irie. Though she was bitten six times, it could have been much worse had it not been for Piper.
Johaven Gonzales
Johaven’s car skidded off the main road and went down a 100 ft cliff when he was traveling with his pregnant mother, grandmother, and sister. Just 8 years old this boy called 911 and then went up the cliff to guide the officers to the car. The officers said that the car was so far down that without him, they wouldn’t have been able to locate the car. He was given a bike as appreciation from the officers.
Kyle Forbes
Kyle, a 10 year old special child who has autism, saw his teacher choke on an apple. He was alone with her at that time. Kyle is a boy scout and knows all about the Heimlich maneuver. He used this technique to the remove the apple from her throat thus saving her life.
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