KEESEVILLE — Robert Russell knew his mother was in trouble.
She was in the bathroom, but he heard her fall.
So the 6-year-old dialed 911.
His mom, Cindy Hemingway, had suffered a seizure.
She believes his quick thinking may have saved her life.
For his presence of mind and bravery, Robert was honored recently by the Keeseville Volunteer Fire Department in a special ceremony.
He was presented with a plaque and medal. But his favorite award was a red fire truck.
"On behalf of all dispatchers, we want to thank you for what you did for your mom," said Priscilla Aubin, representing Clinton County Emergency Services dispatchers. "We just want to tell you that you did a great job."
After posing for a few photos, Robert handed his mother the plaque and asked, "What does it say?"
As she read the inscription — "For performing the courageous act of dialing 911" — a shy smile beamed across his face.
CHECKED ON BABY
Hemingway, who has a history of seizures, had a plan in place and made sure her son knew what to do if he found her unresponsive.
"I had a sticker on the back of our phone," she said.
They picked it up from the firefighters booth at the Clinton County Fair.
"We just kept going over and over what to do in case of an emergency," she said.
As it turns out, practice makes perfect.
Hemingway, 27, had not suffered a seizure like this since she was 13.
"This had happened before, but not like this. It was the first time he had to call," she said. After dialing 911 that day, Robert stayed close to his mother. He also remembered to check on his 16-month-old sister, Paige, who was sleeping in a nearby room of their Peru home at the time.
'SO PROUD'
Family members who had heard the call over the police scanner arrived shortly before emergency personnel.
"We are just so proud of him for having the presence of mind to realize that there was an emergency, call 911 and, more importantly, calmly answer all of the dispatcher's questions so we could help," said Keeseville EMS Capt. Debra Winter.
Hemingway, who was in and out of consciousness after the seizure, learned of her son's bravery in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. It wasn't until later that she realized just how courageous he had been.
"He eventually told me that he thought I had died," Hemingway said. "He is definitely very brave and very smart."
'CHEESE!'
After receiving his award, Robert was too shy to talk about what had happened that day, Dec. 26, 2011.
But he wasn't timid about sharing some soda with his baby sister, putting a little in her sippy cup when he noticed it was empty. He even asked to hold her while photographers snapped a few more photos, proudly saying, "Cheese!"
Hemingway plans to go with Robert — bringing along his awards and fire truck — to Peru Primary School, where he is a first-grader, to share what happened with other students.
"We can show them what to do and how to call for help," she said.
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