LENEXA, Kan. – Thursday was a special day for a Lenexa family as two young girls were honored in front of their school for jumping into action and picking up the phone. Quick thinking by Parker and Paxton Schultz prompted an emergency phone call saved their father’s life.
“I’m alive and it’s because of them, so I can’t translate that into words. It’s an amazing feeling,” Matt Barr, Parker and Paxton’s father, said.
At first glance, Parker and Paxton look like any other seven and five year-old-girls. But in front of teachers and friends, Parker received a 9-1-1 hero award and Paxton was honored for her bravery. The emergency phone call was necessary because Barr, who has diabetes, suffered a drop in his blood sugar.
“I went to go upstairs and check on him and sometimes he does that. And then I heard him making the noise,” Parker Schultz said.
She called 9-1-1 to get help and along with her address — she knew exactly what to tell dispatchers.
911 call
Dispatcher: “Do you need fire or ambulance?”
Parker: “Ambulance.”
Dispatcher: “What’s going on?”
Parker: “My dad has low blood sugar.”
“She was able to give me everything I asked for, she was the perfect 9-1-1 caller,” Marie Atheren with Johnson County Emergency Operations said.
911 call
Dispatcher: “Is your dad awake?”
Parker: “I don’t know.”
Dispatcher: “Is he talking?”
Parker: “No, he’s just making a sound.”
Dispatcher: “He’s making weird sounds?”
Parker: “Yes.”
But Parker had someone else to think about that day, her five year-old sister, Paxton.
“I told her the ambulances are coming and to stay calm when they get here,” Parker said.
“It’s pretty rare to get a 9-1-1 caller that young who is on top of it and knows exactly what they are doing,” Atheren said.
Parker’s parents have said that they practice calling 9-1-1 because of their dad’s condition. But they still say they are amazed at how well the girls performed under pressure.
“It’s just good to see when your lessons pay off,” Barr said.
Emergency responders say it’s important to teach your children and grandchildren how to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. Don’t just tell them, but practice exactly what they are going to have to do. Take the batteries out of your phone and actually have them dial the numbers. Plus, make sure they know their address and phone number and any other information they may need to give dispatchers.
