A Tale of Two Calls

[Guest guest]

This call, similar to the Detroit call, was handled as it is supposed

to be. The Detroit incident is mentioned in the story.

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http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/21903

LancasterOnline.com

Heroes come in all sizes

4-year-old summons help after diabetic father collapses in Lititz home

By Tom Knapp, Intelligencer Journal Staff

Intelligencer Journal

Published: Apr 10, 2006 8:00 AM EST

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - On Sunday afternoon, 4-year-old Mekenzie

Hickey was shoveling down a hero's portion of chocolate pudding.

Between gulps, she shyly explained how she'd rescued her Daddy just

three days earlier.

Acting on a combination of instinct and memory, the youngster on

Thursday was able to summon help and save her stricken father's life.

" He was on the kitchen floor, " she said. A sweet mouthful later, she

added, " They taught me to call 911. "

Her proud parents beamed.

Troy Hickey, of 25 Countryside Lane, Lititz, has diabetes. On

Thursday evening he thought his blood-sugar was low, so he went to

the kitchen to check his level and eat something to raise it.

" But it was already too low, and I collapsed, " he said.

His wife, , was attending a Lititz Women of Today meeting, and

his 18-year-old daughter, Danialle, was at work.

That left tiny Mekenzie, who was watching TV in the living room.

" She heard me fall and came out ... and she asked me if I was OK, "

Hickey said. " I didn't respond to her, so she ran into the living

room and got the phone. She told me to call 911. "

But Hickey, barely conscious, was unable to speak or dial the phone.

" My fingers and my arms were not functioning, " he said.

" So she called 911 on her own. From what I remember hearing, they

asked her name and what the problem was. She said her daddy was on

the floor. And she told them where we lived.

" They asked her to open the front door, but she couldn't get it open,

so she went and opened the garage door. "

Ironically, Mrs. Hickey arrived home at the same time the first

police car pulled up in front of the house. The ambulance was moments

behind, but by then his wife had stabilized Hickey somewhat with an

infusion of cake icing from a tube.

" It brings your blood-sugar up faster than juice, " he said.

Paramedics said his blood-sugar level by then was 31 -- still

dangerously low. Hickey said he has no idea how low it had gone

before his wife started boosting his glucose levels.

" It was a miracle I was even able to sit up and cooperate with the

paramedics, " he said.

The medics gave him an IV and monitored him until his level reached a

more acceptable 180.

By then, it was all over but the cheering -- and heroic Mekenzie got

all the praise.

" We had been teaching her since she was 3 to say her name and

address, and what to do in case something happened to her daddy, "

Hickey said. " And just this past week at her day care, they practiced

dialing 911 on play phones.

" I never believed she would ever need to use it. "

Hickey is still amazed that Mekenzie knew exactly what to do in a crisis.

" She pretty much figured it out on her own, " he said. " She was a

little scared, but overall she was pretty cool and collected. "

On Friday, accolades for the bashful, elfin girl began pouring in,

mostly in the form of balloons and flowers. Hickey said he praised

her as " the little angel in my house " at his church Sunday morning.

" When people tell her she did a good job, she smiles and says, 'Yeah,

I know,' and toddles off, " Hickey said. " She doesn't really

understand the severity of what could have happened.

" She's a real trooper. "

Hickey's brother, Toby, said he was happy the 911 operator took his

niece's call seriously.

Earlier this week, it was reported in Detroit that a 5-year-old boy

called 911 after his mother collapsed; the operator, assuming it was

a prank, did not dispatch aid, and the 46-year-old mother died.

" The police responded, an ambulance came -- who knows what would have

happened if they hadn't, " Toby Hickey said.

Mekenzie said the 911 operator she talked to was " nice, " and so was

the police officer who gave her a high-five for her quick thinking.

Asked if she was proud of herself, Mekenzie paused, a spoonful of

pudding poised in mid-air. Then she smiled and nodded quickly --

before resuming her snack.