A 6-year-old Mississippi boy helped to save his mother after he found her unresponsive on the floor.
Relatives say the tiny tyke’s quick action saved her life and has prompted the community to celebrate him as a local hero.
Cornelius Fairley’s mother Cornissia Andrews has been having a rough season.
She was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer on Dec. 19, 2022, which has metastasized to various parts of her body. Almost two months later, on Feb. 11, the 6-year-old discovered his mother unconscious after she’d had a seizure. The 28-year-old Cornissia had started having the seizures three weeks prior and taught her son what to do if she were in distress or crisis, the Picayune Item reports.
The swift thinker picked up a phone nearby and dialed 911, alerting an emergency response dispatcher about his mother.
He told WLOX, “I called 911 because she wasn’t waking up.”
The call was received at 1:09 p.m.
The dispatcher shared how detailed the young man described the situation, allowing the emergency workers to pinpoint where they were and arrive on the scene without hesitation.
When the ambulance arrived, the EMT workers evaluated Cornissia and then took her to a hospital.
The young man’s grandmother, Cornelia Andrews, says she is unsure what the outcome would’ve been without his calling for help.
“Thank you, Jesus, because without him having the knowledge to do so, we don’t know what would’ve happened,” she said.
Fairley’s heroic deed did not go unnoticed by the city of Picayune.
The city council gave him a special acknowledgment. Fairley was accompanied by his grandparents and had an audience not only with Kim Hart, the principal at West Side Elementary but also with the city’s mayor, Jim Luke.
In addition to the honor, he was allowed to lead the city’s Mardi Gras parade with Police Chief James Bolton and the Picayune Police Department.
The family has been dealing with Fairley’s mother’s health issues for the past few months. Her cancer has started to take over her body, the grandmother shared.
“When they found it, unfortunately, it had spread to her liver and lungs. And a couple of weeks ago we found out it had spread to the brain as well,” Andrews said.
The grandmother says Fairley’s sweet spirit and her faith in God are helping them cope with the challenges his mother is facing, especially with her being hospitalized.
According to a GoFundMe page set up by the grandmother, Cornissia is undergoing “extensive chemotherapy,” and the treatment has been “very aggressive on her body.”
Still, her thoughts are on her son and his care since she is unable to work. While mom’s thoughts are toward Fairley, his are also extended to her.
“He’s always thinking ‘I want to give this to my mommy,’” the grandmother said. “You know some kids go into the store ‘can I have this for myself, can I have this.’ But he was more so trying to get something that would give a smile on his mommy’s face.”
Andrews has set the goal for the crowdfunding campaign to extend to $50,000. So far, friends, family, and other supporters have raised a little over $5,000.
The monies raised will go to “supporting Cornissia will assist us with her medical expenses, medications, travel expenses, her monthly bills and make sure her son is taken care of.”
