When we become parents, it doesn’t take long for our lives to shift in a way that’s perhaps difficult to explain to someone who’s never been a mom or a dad.
Put simply, there isn’t anything in the world that the vast majority of us wouldn’t do to protect our babies and keep them safe from harm.
The idea that something bad could happen to them is enough to make us sick to our stomachs – it’s our job, our responsibility, to be prepared to act when the time comes.
But what about when the roles are reversed? Unlikely as it may seem, what happens when it’s the parent who is in need of life-saving help, and the child(ren) who are left to determine what course fate will take?
6-year-old Macie Semrau had decided she simply did not want to go to school on the morning of April 12. So determined was she to stay home, in fact, that her mother, Kate Semrau, eventually ceded, allowing her to stay home with her 4-year-old brother and dad.
Father Kyle Semrau, 37, works night shifts, and woke up that same morning feeling under the wather.
Yet it was after his partner Kate left the family home that he took a decided turn for the worst. As per reports, young Macie first realized something was wrong when she heard her dad shouting out in alarm.
She and her brother Caleb made their way down to the basement, only to encounter the terrifying sight of their dad passing in and out of consciousness.
Thankfully. Macie retained her composure. She got her father’s iPhone, and in between his fits, she was able to get his passcode from him. She then used Safari to search for the local police and talk to the department’s administrative assistant.
4-year-old Caleb, meanwhile, did his best to comfort his father.
First responders soon arrived on the scene, and Kyle was whisked away to Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire. There, he spent three days being given oxygen.
“On Tuesday I had an incident at home due to an ongoing issue that had affected my sinuses and lungs,” Kyle Semrau wrote on Facebook.
“My 6 year old daughter was able to navigate my phone and call for help. I’m almost certain she saved my life.
“I am home and doing well and wanted to make sure everyone who has reached out knows I am forever grateful for you! In the blink of an eye you don’t know how much your life can change.
“Teach your kids emergency scenarios, teach them life events that school might not cover, street smarts and being alert. Life is short, but mine just got longer because of Macie, my daughter. Much love to all!!”
The Elio Police Department also paid tribute to Macie’s quick thinking online.
“An incredible story of Macie’s quick thinking and courageous actions that helped save her dad during a medical emergency,” their post read. “Great job, Macie!!!”
“Just incredible all around,” Kyle added. “I’m very lucky, obviously because of my daughter and son and the [police] response. It was quick.”
Wow! What an impressive way to react in what must have been a truly terrifying situation.
Thank God Macie and Caleb were on hand to help her father – who knows what might have happened otherwise.
Please, share this article on Facebook to ensure Macie gets the praise she so obviously deserves.
