RUSK, Texas — UT Health East Texas EMS honored a 3-year-old girl whose actions helped emergency crews reach her mother during a seizure earlier this year.
Noemi “Emi” Vatavuk received a certificate of bravery and an EMS challenge coin from EMS CEO John Smith and Medical Director Dr. Yagnesh Desai on Sept. 8. Paramedic Caleb Ridgeway and EMT Tim Spurgeon, who responded to the emergency, also presented her with an emotional support Build-A-Bear teddy bear, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.
Emi was home with her mother, Aiden Wilkie, when Wilkie experienced a seizure that left her unable to move or speak. The child called her grandparents near Atlanta, allowing them to contact emergency dispatchers and help coordinate the response to the family’s apartment.
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“She rolled me over and called my mom,” Wilkie said. “From what I understand from my mom, who was on the phone with her, she rolled me onto my side, rubbed my hair and talked to my mom on the phone.”
Wilkie was diagnosed with epilepsy as an infant.
Emi’s grandmother, Ryan McCleod, remained connected to the child through FaceTime while Emi’s grandfather spoke with dispatchers. The family relayed information between the child, the communications center and responding crews.
The locked apartment door and difficulty locating the correct unit complicated the response. Following instructions, Emi moved a dining room chair to the front door, climbed onto it and unlocked the door. She then called out to help responders find the apartment.
“When dispatch said they were in close proximity, I told Emi we needed to get the chair so she could unlock the door,” McCleod said. “She dragged that chair all the way from the dining room to the front door and opened it. Because dispatch was having a hard time finding the apartment, I told her to yell, and she did it like a champ.”
After opening the door, Emi took her cat, Nemo, outside and waited for responders.
EMS system status controller Lisa Wingfield, who dispatched the call, said maintaining a calm voice was critical as information was passed through the grandparents from hundreds of miles away.
“I went into the mode of, ‘The calmer I am, the calmer everybody else is going to be,’” Wingfield said. “I needed to make sure my voice sounded calm, even if I was bouncing around in my seat trying to get them help. After the call was over, I turned to my boss and said, ‘I need to take a break,’ and I went and cried because I was so happy they got help.”
Wilkie credited the successful response to the coordination among her daughter, parents, dispatchers and EMS personnel.
“She is definitely my hero,” Wilkie said of Emi.
