ATLANTA — The Atlanta Police Department honored one of its dispatchers Friday for the way she handled a call with a 10-year-old girl on the line trying to help her grandmother.
When the dispatcher took the call from the 10-year-old, she thought it may have been another kid messing around.
But after a few seconds she immediately got an EMS worker on the phone and all three helped save the child's grandmother.
Dispatcher: "Atlanta 9-1-1 Emergency…"
Caller: "My grandma, there's bubbles coming out of her mouth."
Dispatcher: "OK. What's your address?"
For dispatcher Teneria Dilstrap the March 20 call is one she'll always remember.
Dispatcher: "OK. How old are you?"
Caller: "I'm 10."
Dispatcher: "OK . Let me connect you to the ambulance. You're doing real good. Hold on."
On the other end of the line was Marcella Hughley. She and her young siblings were the only ones home when they noticed their grandmother slump over.
Dispatcher: "Tell me, exactly what happened?"
Caller: "Well, I came in, and she was just sitting there and first and she was breathing and then bubbles just started coming out of her mouth."
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As paramedics rushed to their home an EMS worker gave Marcella instructions
EMS Dispatcher: "I want you to tell me every time she takes a breath. Say 'now.' I'll let you know when to stop."
The dispatchers though the grandmother was on the verge of going into a diabetic coma.
Caller: "Now."
Dispatcher: "Keep going."
Caller: "Now."
"At a young age she showed such great leadership skills and I thought that was something that needed to be honored," Gilstrap said.
Not only was Marcella honored, so was Gilstrap. She said anyone of her colleagues could have taken a call that ended up saving Marcella's grandmother's life.
"I would definitely dedicate the award to everybody because we all work very hard," Gilstrap said.
Channel 2's Craig Lucie went to Marcella's house and spoke with her grandmother, who said she is feeling much better.
She and Marcella did not want to talk about the incident on camera.
WSBTV
