TORONTO – A Tacoma, Washington dad says he owes his life to his 6-year-old daughter after a diabetes attack caused him to black out – and the little girl managed to call 911 using his phone.
What’s more, she was able to explain to 911 operators exactly what was happening to her dad, allowing them to treat him as soon as they arrived on scene.
“My daughter is probably one of the reasons why I’m here,” Michael Sherman told KIRO-TV in Seattle.
Sherman said he was getting ready to leave Tacoma’s Kandle Park Saturday afternoon along with his daughter, Makena, and son Ryder.
That’s when his children noticed that Sherman was shaking.
“My son, Ryder, said ‘Daddy, you’re kind of shaking. Is your blood sugar low?’ I said ‘Yeah, it is,'” Sherman recalled.
He buckled up his children in their car seats, got in the front, and began to try and eat a snack to raise his blood sugar levels.
That’s the last thing he remembers.
When he came to, Sherman said he was 25 yards away from his vehicle, surrounded by paramedics in the parking lot.
That’s when he learned his daughter had called 911.
“Makena, for her to operate my phone, call 911, she’s pretty much a hero in my book,” said Sherman.
What’s more, the car’s child safety locks were engaged at the time, so the children couldn’t leave the car.
That left Makena to get out of her car seat, climb into the front seat, find her father’s cellphone and dial 911 – all while her father was convulsing in the front seat.
Sherman’s face bears the scars of those convulsions: a black eye, a broken nose, and some stitches above his brow. He also suffered a concussion.
Sherman said he and his wife have made a point of explaining his diabetes to both children, warning them of the tell-tale signs of low blood sugar. They’ve also instructed their children in exactly what to do when dialing 911.
It was training that paid off. And while he’s bruised and battered, Sherman said he’s incredibly grateful to his daughter for her quick-thinking.
“Her birthday is coming up on the 14th, so I told her she can have anything she wants for her birthday.”
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