911 Dispatcher Saves Choking Baby over Phone, In Tears When She Meets Him
First responders have one of the toughest and most important jobs in the world. Day in and day out they work long, underpaid hours.
They enter their field knowing the sacrifices they’ll be required to make. Many go days without seeing their families, working graveyard shifts to help people in emergency situations.
Firefighters, police, paramedics, and 911 dispatchers often respond at the height of a crisis. In the chaos of it all, they often leave a scene or situation without as much as a “thanks” from the person or people they helped.
But one 911 dispatcher has recently been noticed. In 2017, Tennie “Tee” Roberts was working her shift in Grainger County, Tennessee, when a frantic mother called.
It’s every parent’s worst nightmare to find your baby unresponsive. Heather Watson’s nightmare came true on November 17, 2017 when she found her infant son, Dallas, not breathing while in his swing.
It happened in seconds, and Watson was panicked. Dallas was blue.
It was up to his mother to save him. Thankfully, when Watson called 911, Roberts knew just what to do.
While on the phone, Roberts walked the frightened mother through CPR. Her instructions saved 4-week-old Dallas’ life.
Watson wanted to show the dispatcher just how much she appreciated what she did for her son that night. When she showed up at the dispatch office, the women shared a hug and a few tears over the healthy now 9-month-old boy.
“That’s why we do it, right here,” Roberts said as she smiled at baby Dallas. “Such a blessing to see them, and he smiled at me like he knew me,” she later shared in an interview.
Watson explained, “I wanted to let her know her hard work and dedication doesn’t go unnoticed. She was the calm in my storm.”
A touching interaction. And a good reminder that it’s people like Roberts who serve as our local, everyday heroes.
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