Serenity Russell, 12, smiles after receiving a shirt and hat from Chattanooga Fire Chief Phil Hyman, near left, for her efforts that prevented further harm to her mother who was involved in a serious traffic accident. Hamilton County EMS director Ken Wilkerson looks on, center.If you're going to have a medical emergency while driving through a busy intersection, you'd better hope someone like 12-year-old Serenity Russell is around to lend a helping hand.
On April 20, she showed first responders and a handful of other adults how to keep cool under pressure when her mother, Roni Mothershead, had a seizure while driving on Gunbarrel Road. Russell kept calm, put the car in park and took charge of the scene, telling bystanders to call for help.
Paramedics and firefighters celebrated her actions on Friday and, as an added bonus, brought out a cake because the incident happened on her birthday.
"When responders arrived on scene, Serenity had taken control of the scene and really displayed some heroic actions," said Chattanooga Fire Department Chief Phil Hyman. "Her mother was having a medical issue and they were right in the middle of an intersection, a dangerous intersection, and Serenity really snapped into action.
"She displayed just an inordinate amount of calmness during that entire event, like nothing was going on. Twelve-year-old Serenity is the kind of person we love to have in our community. She did an outstanding job."
Hamilton County EMS Director Ken Wilkerson echoed Hyman and gave Russell a blue ribbon certificate, an honor usually reserved for paramedics who do something outstanding in the line of duty.
"Serenity stepped up and gave us something that we sorely need - that's a little extra time. She was the first responder on that scene," Wilkerson said. "She took charge, all at the ripe old age of barely turning 12 that day."
Mothershead said the incident is fuzzy from the time she pulled up to the intersection to when the paramedics arrived, but she's immensely proud of her daughter.
"We pulled up at the intersection and, of course, I ended up having a seizure and she put the car in park and kept me still and everything and called for help," she said. "To see her recognized like this is an amazing feeling."
Russell, who wants to be either an artist or a basketball player when she grows up, said she was nervous as everything happened, but she knew exactly what to do because she's taken care of her mother before.
She said her mother started scooting out of her seat so she held her head still, asked someone to call for help, and got someone to bring cool water, which she dumped on her jacket and put on her mother's forehead.
"It made me kind of nervous because it was in the car," she said. "She has had seizures before where I've taken care of her so I know what to do. She's my mom and I love her."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.