An 11-Year-Old in West Jordan, Utah, Called 911 and Got Her Dad Home to Start CPR When Her Mom Collapsed, and Her Mom Has Fully Recovered

An 11-year-old girl in West Jordan, Utah, is being honored by her city after her quick thinking helped save her mother. When her mom collapsed at home, Alice Whitney called 911 and got her dad home to start CPR. Her mother has since made a full recovery, West Jordan City said.

What Happened Inside the Whitney Home

Alice’s mother had been dealing with a migraine earlier that day and could not keep her medication down. While her father, Steven Whitney, was out walking the family dogs, she fell unconscious.

Alice reached her dad and called him home, and he ran back to begin CPR. She also got on the phone with 911, so an ambulance was already on its way. Steven Whitney told the city that Alice was the one who called for the ambulance.

West Jordan fire and police units responded, according to the city. Responders kept Alice’s mother stable on the way to Holy Cross Hospital-Jordan Valley. She later had a stroke, but the city reports she has since made a full recovery.

A New Cardiac Monitor Played a Part

The crew used one of the West Jordan Fire Department’s new cardiac monitors. The city said the devices, made by Zoll, can read basic vital signs, detect heart problems and restart a heart in patients of all ages.

The City Council funded eight of the monitors this year, one for each fire truck and ambulance. A Zoll representative called the rescue the first documented save with the new monitors in the valley.

Fire Chief Maxfield Honored Alice and the Crew

At a city recognition, Fire Chief Maxfield presented Alice with an Amazing Star Award. He told her that her quick action gave her mother more time with the family.

The responders received the Amazing Save Award. They included paramedics, firefighters and a battalion chief from the West Jordan Fire Department, three members of the West Jordan Police Department, and a dispatcher from the Salt Lake Valley Emergency Communication Center. Holy Cross Hospital-Jordan Valley, which treated Alice’s mother, also presented the group with a plaque recognizing their training and teamwork, according to the hospital’s EMS liaison, Jay Larsen.

The Zoll representative also gave the crew an award certificate to mark the save.

Hoodline reported that city leaders are calling Alice a hero.

The city has used the Amazing Save Award to recognize lifesaving rescues before. In 2022, a 70-year-old man who survived cardiac arrest at home presented the award to Fire Station 53 after crews restored his pulse.

Kids Can Learn These Steps Early

Alice’s story lines up with what heart experts have said about children. A 2023 scientific statement from the American Heart Association, the European Resuscitation Council and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation found that children as young as 4 can learn to recognize an emergency and know when to call 911.

By around age 10, children may be able to give effective chest compressions on training manikins, according to the statement. Most cardiac arrests happen at home, the statement noted.

Dr. Comilla Sasson, an American Heart Association vice president, said young children can learn what 911 is, how to call it, and their home address so a dispatcher can send help, KTVZ reported. She said her own 6- and 8-year-old learned how to call 911 quickly.

A Simple Family Plan for Emergencies at Home

The heart experts recommend that families create a household cardiac emergency plan and practice it together. That plan assigns roles ahead of time: one person calls 911 on speaker from a cell phone, another starts Hands-Only CPR right away, and someone unlocks the door for first responders.

The American Heart Association’s Hands-Only CPR guide boils the technique down to two steps: call 911, then push firmly and quickly in the center of the chest. The association says CPR can double or even triple a person’s chance of survival.

Parents can practice a 911 call with children at home, including saying the family’s address out loud. In West Jordan, an 11-year-old who knew what to do helped buy the time her mother needed.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Trent A. Henry – Public domain/Wikimedia Commons