Arizona boy named honorary firefighter after saving mom who suffered seizure
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 5-year-old Arizona boy was named an "honorary firefighter" for his quick thinking after his mother suffered a seizure in the shower.
Rural Metro firefighters presented Salvatore Cicalese with a certificate, patch, shirt and helmet on Friday to honor his bravery, ABC 15 reported.
San Tan Valley boy honored by firefighters after saving his mom https://t.co/RdvV0vsP5K #abc15 pic.twitter.com/XMstV76R6F
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) April 15, 2017
Cicalese sought immediate help the night he heard his mom fall in the shower at their San Tan Valley home.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I turned on the shower, that's all I remember," Kaitlyn Cicalese told ABC 15, adding that the last memory she recalled was waking up in the hospital.
Cicalese's son, sensing something was wrong, wrapped his 2-month-old sister in a blanket and put her in the living room. He went into the garage, opened the door by climbing on a barstool and carried his sister to the neighbor's home.
"He's standing there and holding something and I thought it was a doll," the neighbor said, shocked to see the boy at her front door.
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Salvatore Cicalese told the neighbor that his "mom died in the shower" and asked if she could take care of him and his sister, according to ABC 15. Cicalese later revealed he went to the home because he didn't want his sister seeing their mom possibly dead.
The neighbor then called 911. Police found his mom unconscious in the bathtub.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Honestly, he saved my life. I was under the faucet. If he wouldn't have gotten help, I would have drowned," Kaitlyn Cicalese said.
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Cicalese said this was the second seizure she suffered and that the family is still recovering from the traumatic incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Every day is a challenge for us. He asks me a billion times if I'm going to be OK. He'll tell me: 'Are you going to have another seizure?' No, I'm okay. 'Are you going to die today?' No, I'm not going to die today," she told ABC 15.
The firefighters decided to bestow the honor on Salvatore after hearing the story. They also hope parents will start discussing how to respond to emergency situations with their children.
Luckily, the boy seemed to act on instinct.