SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ (CBS5) -
Eugene Foster is alive, thanks to the quick thinking of his granddaughter who, as soon as she noticed something wasn't right, sprang into action and called 911.
"Her grandfather was having a diabetic problem, he was unresponsive," said 911 dispatcher Lucy Catone.
"I checked his blood sugar and at first it was 59, so I just sat there and told him to eat his Fig Newtons," Hailey Eaton said to Catone.
People at Rural Metro's medical dispatch unit said they don't get a lot of calls from children. But when Eaton called them Tuesday around noon saying her grandfather's blood sugar was really low, her age wasn't the only thing that set her apart.
It would be a pretty nerve-wracking experience for anyone, but Eaton remained cool and calm.
"He was, like, laying there like this, like he was barely waking up and I was thinking his blood sugar must be low," said Eaton, of San Tan Valley.
Her grandfather, Eugene Foster, was going into a diabetic attack. She had seen him check his blood sugar before, so she pricked his finger and tried to get him to eat a cookie.
"Very cool, calm, didn't get excited, wasn't upset," Catone said of Eaton. Catone said that is a remarkable trait considering Eaton is only 11 years old.
"I thought, 'Wow, I sounded calm,' but on the inside I wasn't," Eaton said. "I felt like crying."
CBS 5 News played the 911 call for her grandfather, who couldn't believe how calm she sounded either.
"Boy, boy, boy, you're growing up kid," Foster said. He added that it's thanks to her coolness under pressure that he's alive.
"She saved me one more time," he said.
The dispatchers at Rural Metro said all parents should make sure their kids know their address and phone number in case they have to call 911, just like Eaton did.
Copyright 2012 CBS 5 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Eugene Foster is alive today because of the calm, cool actions of his granddaughter, Hailey Eaton.
Hailey Eaton: Her quick actions helped save her grandfather from a diabetic problem.
FOX19-WXIX
