Edmonton-area boy, 7, saves mom with 911 call

A seven-year-old boy who saved his mother by getting her desperately needed medical help is being hailed as a hero.

"It's still very emotional...very heart-warming my son did that for me," said Maria Ouellette fighting back tears.

Birk and Maria Ouellette were setting up a laptop earlier this month when Maria lost consciousness and collapsed onto the kitchen floor of their rural home north of Edmonton.

Birk and his three-year-old brother were the only other people home at the time.

Birk called 911 and gave the ambulance crew with the information they needed — including directions to the acreage.

"We are all really impressed with how brave Birk was." —Robyn Warrington, EMT

"We haven’t been on the acreage that long," said Ouellette, now recovering at home. "I’m a little surprised he was able to tell the ambulance where to find us."

"I’m very proud of him."

She and her husband always made sure that Birk knew the ambulance was only a phone call away, said Ouellette, who did not want to disclose her medical condition.

School taught safety tips

Birk's school also made sure students know where their own addresses and how to get there, she said.

Birk was also able to provide paramedics with information as they treated Ouellette at the scene.

"We are all really impressed with how brave Birk was," says Robyn Warrington, an emergency medical technician who responded to the call.

"He was incredibly calm and helpful," Warrington said. "He knew exactly how to react to an emergency."

Ouellette was eventually taken to Royal Alexandra Hospital while a neighbour cared for the boys until their father returned home from work.

The incident is still emotional for Ouellette as she wonders what her son experienced.

"It just breaks my heart," said Ouellette, who didn't regain consciousness until after she arrived at hospital. "What did he see happen to me? It's not an easy thing to see."

Birk, like most heroes, did not have much to say at his press conference Friday.

He would only agree he found the incident overwhelming and that all kids should know how to call 911, before hiding behind the couch.