11-year-old gets award for saving 'grateful' mom’s life

An 11-year-old girl was presented with an award for her efforts to save her mom’s life while she suffered a medical emergency. 

Two weeks ago, Felicia Hansel had a seizure at her home in Banks, Oregon.

"The last thing I remember was walking into the kitchen," Hansel said. 

Her daughter, 11-year-old Nevaeh Jimenez, was outside playing with a friend when she ran inside to grab her phone charger. 

"I saw my mom on the ground, and I just, like, asked her, ‘Why are you on the ground?’ And she said, ‘I don’t know,’" Jimenez recalled. "And after she said ‘I don’t know,’ she got really scared and told me to call 911."

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"I am grateful for my kids," Felicia Hansel said.

Jimenez used her mom’s thumb to unlock her mom’s cell phone and call 911. 

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"I would like to say I was surprised by that, but not really," Hansel said. "She is incredibly intelligent, kind, and she has a big heart. It’s not the first time she’s helped somebody."

For her bravery, the Banks Fire District presented Jimenez with a Life Saving Award Monday night. 

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"We think it’s important to recognize the children," said Mitch Ward, the fire district’s public information officer. "It was a time of extreme stress, and of course they must have been very scared, and often they don’t know what to do. When some of them come forth like this we like to give them a pat on the back."

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Hansel said it was a scary situation, but she’s happy to be back with her family.

"When I got home, we all cried together," Hansel said. "We all had lots of conversations about it. I am grateful for my kids."