Nothing is more frightening than a medical emergency. And if you’re pregnant, with three young children at home, it gets even scarier when you have to be rushed to the ER, and have to trust that strangers can take care of your children. But sometimes the kindness of strangers is exactly what we need during these scary moments.
When Karen Garcia got up one morning last month, the pregnant mom felt the vertigo she had been experiencing start to creep in. But this time it hit harder than ever before. Alone, with her husband at work and her children sleeping. “Everything was turning. It was terrible,” she recalled. “It was a very strong vertigo episode that I hadn’t experienced in a long time.”
Unable to keep her medications down, she called for her children. The kids, ages 11, 9 and 8, called 911 for Karen, and gave the dispatcher all the information on what was wrong with their mom, and what their address was. “They were so amazing,” Karen said.
I could hear them frantically trying to help me.”
Enter Capt. Brian Thompson and his team from the Los Banos Fire Department. Once the firefighters arrived, they quickly called an ambulance and turned their attention to the worried children. “They were definitely worried about mom,” Brian said. “They were distraught.” The firefighters promised Karen they would stay with the children until their uncle could come and get them.
Los Banos Fire Department Capt. Brian Thompson prepared breakfast for Karen Garcia’s three young children after she was rushed to the hospital on the morning of Oct. 19. Photo by Los Banos Fire Department
Brian, a father of six, said he understood the importance of compassion in such situations. “It really does take a village. We all have to look out for one another,” he said. With the children concerned about their mother, Brian took it upon himself to distract them. “I asked the kids what their morning ritual was,” he said. Realizing breakfast was the first thing they needed, Brian got out the orange juice and began cooking.
“I got them involved to take out the toaster, the sugar and the cinnamon,” he said. “They helped me make them cinnamon sugar toast.” It didn’t take long before the kids began to feel more like normal, he said. “They were all over the house playing and showing us their toys and artwork,” Brian said. “They were excited that the firemen were there making them breakfast.”
It took their mom off their minds,” he added.
Only once the children were safe with their uncle, did the firefighters then head back to the station. Karen was released from the hospital the next day. “I couldn’t have asked for a better crew to show up. I’m so grateful,” she said. The heartwarming story gained widespread attention after the Los Banos Fire Department shared a Facebook post featuring Brian making breakfast for the kids. Praise poured in from a community touched by this unexpected act of kindness.
Karen Garcia’s three children, from left, Javy, 11, Zophia, 9, and Alex, 8. Photo courtesy of the Garcia family
For Brian, it’s all about making sure to spread kindness whenever you can. “There’s so much hatred and anger and just uncertainty in the world, and I hope that we can all just take a step back and do something small to make a positive impact on somebody’s daily life,” he said. “[I]t’s just going to take a bunch of small acts of kindness to kind of offset all the negative that’s going on in the world right now.” Watch below as this amazing firefighter helps three little kids stay calm in a scary situation.
Sources: Washington Post | The Epoch Times
