TheMorningStar
August 16th, 2009, 09:41 PM
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Little Tahlique Garay's pregnant mother collapsed and fell to the floor of her Queens bedroom, out cold.
The precocious kindergarten graduate didn't panic, instead calmly following what Jennifer Garay had told him to do if she ever got sick: Call 911.
"My mommy, um, passed out a little bit," Tahlique told the emergency operator last Wednesday afternoon, giving her the family's Jamaica address.
"How old are you?" the 911 dispatcher asked incredulously.
"Five years old," Tahlique said matter-of-factly.
"Five years old? Where's your mommy at?" the dispatcher said.
"She's on the floor," he responded, prompting the dispatcher to send an ambulance to help Garay, who is eight months pregnant.
Wednesday, fire officials praised the little boy as his mom dabbed away tears of pride and joy.
"He saved my life and the life of his unborn sister," she said, listening to the 911 recording.
"I'm just so proud of him," said the 23-year-old Garay.
"He did everything right."
Tahlique, who starts first grade at Public School 37 this fall, was watching a movie when his mom went down. He heard her fall and when he saw on the floor of her bedroom, he grabbed the phone.
"She can't wake up," said Tahlique. "My mommy gets seizures."
Ambulances from the FDNY and Jamaica Hospital arrived six minutes and 37 seconds later and EMTs were able to revive Garay, who was dehydrated.
"I didn't want to scare him but I had to tell him what to do if I got sick," said Garay; a previous seizure prompted her to teach Tahlique about 911.
Garay, who is due to give birth to a little girl next month, spent two days at Jamaica Hospital before being released.
"Children often surprise us in the extraordinary, unexpected things that they do," said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, who swore Tahlique in as a "Junior Paramedic" in a ceremony at FDNY Headquarters. "This young boy sets an example for every child in this city."
"At 5 years old he's a hero, so at 20 who knows what he could be?" said Willie Gonzalez, one of the paramedics who responded to the Garay household. "It's amazing."
Tahlique, who turned slightly bashful when surrounded by the firefighters and media Wednesday, beamed as he held up his Junior Paramedic plaque and tried on his new FDNY jacket.
"My mom was on the floor so I called 911," he said.
"I wanted to help her."
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/08/12/2009-08-12_fdny_honors_heroic_queens_boy_5_who_saved_moms_ live_with_a_quick_call_to_911.html
http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee314/fishincage/DD/amd_tahlique_garay_kiss.jpg
Little Tahlique Garay's pregnant mother collapsed and fell to the floor of her Queens bedroom, out cold.
The precocious kindergarten graduate didn't panic, instead calmly following what Jennifer Garay had told him to do if she ever got sick: Call 911.
"My mommy, um, passed out a little bit," Tahlique told the emergency operator last Wednesday afternoon, giving her the family's Jamaica address.
"How old are you?" the 911 dispatcher asked incredulously.
"Five years old," Tahlique said matter-of-factly.
"Five years old? Where's your mommy at?" the dispatcher said.
"She's on the floor," he responded, prompting the dispatcher to send an ambulance to help Garay, who is eight months pregnant.
Wednesday, fire officials praised the little boy as his mom dabbed away tears of pride and joy.
"He saved my life and the life of his unborn sister," she said, listening to the 911 recording.
"I'm just so proud of him," said the 23-year-old Garay.
"He did everything right."
Tahlique, who starts first grade at Public School 37 this fall, was watching a movie when his mom went down. He heard her fall and when he saw on the floor of her bedroom, he grabbed the phone.
"She can't wake up," said Tahlique. "My mommy gets seizures."
Ambulances from the FDNY and Jamaica Hospital arrived six minutes and 37 seconds later and EMTs were able to revive Garay, who was dehydrated.
"I didn't want to scare him but I had to tell him what to do if I got sick," said Garay; a previous seizure prompted her to teach Tahlique about 911.
Garay, who is due to give birth to a little girl next month, spent two days at Jamaica Hospital before being released.
"Children often surprise us in the extraordinary, unexpected things that they do," said Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, who swore Tahlique in as a "Junior Paramedic" in a ceremony at FDNY Headquarters. "This young boy sets an example for every child in this city."
"At 5 years old he's a hero, so at 20 who knows what he could be?" said Willie Gonzalez, one of the paramedics who responded to the Garay household. "It's amazing."
Tahlique, who turned slightly bashful when surrounded by the firefighters and media Wednesday, beamed as he held up his Junior Paramedic plaque and tried on his new FDNY jacket.
"My mom was on the floor so I called 911," he said.
"I wanted to help her."
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/08/12/2009-08-12_fdny_honors_heroic_queens_boy_5_who_saved_moms_ live_with_a_quick_call_to_911.html