Grandma was watching her 11-year-old grandson while his parents were away — she never expected he’d end up saving her life
An 11-year-old boy with a sharp presence of mind ended up saving his grandmother's life because of his quick thinking. The boy, Harrison Bechtel, was staying with his grandma as his mom was out of town. Everything was going okay, but then the boy heard his grandma's scream for help all of a sudden. Harrison immediately rushed to check what had happened and was shocked by the sight. His grandmother was bleeding profusely, so he immediately jumped into action, per My Wabash Valley.
The grandmother was inside the bathroom and had lost quite a lot of blood in a short span. Harrison immediately called 911 after that, following his grandmother's instructions. "I didn't know it was that much blood, like it was a lot of blood and so I kinda just did what she told me to do and she said dial 911 and I did." Soon enough, the woman, Teresa Bechtel, was taken to the hospital for treatment. She was grateful to be safe and alive. "They just admitted me and I was there for a week and they got me all better and I haven't had any more problems and for all of that, I'm very thankful," Teresa remarked.
The bleeding was the result of a medical treatment Teresa had received around 10 days before that day, per the outlet. "It was a pretty horrific day and I'm just gonna say that I thank the lord for everything," Harrison went on. His mom, Haley Senatus, also appreciated her son's courage and patience during the scary incident. She was also glad that the boy was there to make the call for his grandma. "I've always known he's special. You know, every mom thinks their kid is special, but he's very special and he is very empathetic and caring and he loves his nana. You know, that's one of his top people and so to know that if he would not have been there to make that call for her, she may not have been with us today, is a very proud moment as a mom."
The boy was presented with an award by the Brazil City Fire Department and STAR ambulance at the Brazil City Hall for his brave act. According to the Canadian Red Cross, there can be many such situations in which an adult might need to seek help from a child. In such a case, it becomes essential that the child knows how to act in case of an emergency. The child must be able to unlock an adult's phone and call 911. The organization shared the check, call and care method for emergencies. First, the child should check if the person is responding, call 911 in case they don't respond or express the need for it while conscious. Next up, they must follow the directions of the person on call.
Emergency training can turn out to be helpful in many such situations. In another story, a mom from the UK, Rhian, had taught her seven-year-old daughter, Jessica, what to do in case she had a seizure. The girl knew that she was supposed to call the emergency medical service in the UK, or 999, in case her mom had a seizure. So when Rhian had a seizure and fell down a full flight of stairs, Jessica knew what to do. Her conversation with the dispatcher was shared on Rhian's TikTok, where she goes by @rhianhx.