Aurora girl, 9, honored for saving mother’s life with brave 911 call – Chicago Tribune

Aria Lamen was honored Tuesday night for saving her mother’s life after the 9-year-old called 911 after her mother passed out at their Aurora home last month.

The girl remained calm and provided important information, and dispatchers said she handled herself better than most adults in the situation.

Lamen was honored for her quick thinking during Tuesday’s Aurora City Council meeting, where she received the Mayor’s Outstanding Achievement Award.

February 2 Aria and her mother Caron were home alone when Caron suddenly passed out while her daughter was doing her homework. Aria quickly called her father and then called 911 while keeping a close eye on her mom, who was breathing but unable to speak, Aurora officials said.

Aurora 911 dispatcher Tracy Whalen said she has been on emergency calls for 30 years and has never seen a child handle a difficult situation as well as Aria did.

“I don’t see most adults doing as well as she did,” Whalen said. “That was one of the best calls of my career.”

After being rushed to Rush Copley Medical Center, Caron Lamen spent 16 days in the hospital and in rehab before recently returning home.

Aria was honored Tuesday and received several gifts from city council members, including a “superwoman cape” from Aldo. Sheketa Hart-Burns, 7th Ward.

Tuesday night, Aria had an important message she wanted to share with her peers.

“I want kids to know things like their parents’ (cell phone) password, where they work, their address, so that if your parent or guardian is in trouble, you can help them,” she said.

Karen Lamen thanked Whalen for “essentially being the mother that I couldn’t be because I was out (passing out).”

She also thanked the paramedics, who she said went out of their way to help, even making sure Aria was properly dressed to leave the house on February 2 on a bitterly cold winter’s day.

Her biggest thanks went to her daughter, adding that she was so proud of her for keeping the information she drilled into herself in case of an emergency.

“Seeing me on the floor wasn’t easy, I’m sure it wasn’t,” she told Aria during Tuesday’s ceremony. “But you did such a great job, I’m so proud of you and I love you. You are my little nanny. You are my little angel.’

mejones@chicagotribune.com