A 4-year-old boy is being credited with saving his mother’s life by taking care of her and his two younger siblings when she went into septic shock due to influenza A.
Rachel Milless, of Big Lake, Minnesota, said she was home alone with her 4-year-old son, Asher, and his brothers, ages 2 and 1, while battling the flu last November. The registered nurse was getting ready to drop her sons off at her sister’s home and drive herself to the ER for help when she had a coughing fit.
Milless has asthma and keeps a nebulizer at home. As she was trying to reach her nebulizer, she fell to the floor in the kitchen, and Asher stepped into action.
“He just instinctively brought [the nebulizer] over and plugged it in and hooked it up and put all the meds in it,” Milless said. “He held it to my face and said, ‘Just breathe, Mom.'”
She said she and her husband, Tyler Milless, had never shown Asher how to use the nebulizer. They also reportedly had never shown him how to call someone on their cellphones, but Asher knew to tell Siri, “Call Daddy.” Tyler, in turn, called 911.
While Asher was taking care of mom, he also looked out for his siblings, according to Rachel and Tyler. They said Asher moved his brothers to an area outside of the kitchen, and gave them snacks and toys to distract them.
Sherburne County Sheriff Chief Deputy Steve Doran told GMA the responding officers were “extremely impressed” when they arrived to find a 4-year-old in charge.
Last week, the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office recognized Asher with its Life Saving Award. He is the youngest recipient of the award in the office’s history, according to Doran.