Police in a Missouri town are praising two children for their quick thinking after their mom suffered a stroke Tuesday.
Mitchell Copeland, 6, and Cora Copeland, 7, immediately called 911 and began administering CPR after their mother, Laura Copeland, became unresponsive.
Even more impressive – both children are legally blind.
“It just caught me by surprise how well she did, and how much she knew,” Laiken James with Marion/Lewis County dispatch who took Cora’s 911 call, told WGEM News.
According to the Hannibal, Mo., police department, Mitchell and Cora sprang into action when their mother collapsed early Tuesday morning. Cora called 911, and then both children began to administer first aid.
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“My little heroes,” Laura Copeland told WGEM. “I woke up to not breathing, not remembering anything. My kids were in my face.”
Police say the kids were able to provide valuable information to first responders, and Hannibal police Lt. John Zerbonia told local media that officers were impressed with the children’s calm and quick thinking.
Both children suffer from a genetic eye disease called Achromatopsia, meaning they have difficulty filtering light.
Laura Copeland was transported by ambulance to Hannibal Regional Hospital, while the kids were given a tour of an officer’s patrol car as a thank you from police.
Now recovering in hospital, Copeland says the incident demonstrates the importance of having an emergency plan in place with your kids and family.
“Talk about [the] stuff that can happen because all of a sudden, something can happen,” she said.