A 6-year-old Mississippi girl is being honored for helping emergency responders find her family’s car after her mother suffered a stroke while driving in a rural area.
Bryanna Cook is a first-grade student at Fairview Elementary School in Columbus, and Lowndes County supervisors have adopted a resolution to honor her bravery, the Commercial Dispatch reported.
Bryanna and her mother, Yolanda Cook, were on their way to see Bryanna’s grandmother in Preston on Oct. 23 when Cook suffered a stroke while driving on Mississippi Highway 21 between Shuqulak and Macon.
After the car stopped in the woods, Cook became unresponsive and Bryanna grabbed her mother’s cell phone.
“I was scared, so I called my grandma and my mom wouldn’t wake up,” Bryanna said Friday.
Her grandmother told her to call 911. Bryanna first spoke to a Noxubee County dispatcher, who put her in touch with Lowndes County dispatcher Latonya Malone.
Cook appears with Latonya Malone (L), 911 operator for Lowndes County, Mississippi, on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Columbus, Miss.AP
Bryanna then assisted Malone and first responders in Noxubee and Lowndes counties by describing her surroundings, how far the car was from the road and the condition of her mother, who was otherwise uninjured.
Malone said that while he had Bryanna on the 911 line, he used his cell phone to talk to Bryanna’s grandmother.
“Bryanna was able to tell us where they were going and Grandma helped us too, because she told us where they were at the time” based on when they left the house, Malone said.
For the next two hours, while first responders searched for the couple, Bryanna stayed on the phone and followed Malone’s instructions.
Malone said that while he had Bryanna on the 911 line, he used his cell phone to talk to Bryanna’s grandmother. Facebook/Fairview Elementary PTO
Bryanna said she opened the doors to give her mother some fresh air and “I tapped her on the face to see if she would wake up, but she didn’t.”
Information from Bryanna and her grandmother eventually led first responders to the car, Malone said. Cook was taken to a hospital in Macon before being flown to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo.
Bryanna remained with her mother in the hospital until Cook was discharged on October 31.
“His teachers and the school principal were very supportive,” Cook said.
“I helped my mom because I saved her,” Bryanna added. “At the hospital, I helped her out of her bed and walked with her through her hallways because I love her.”
When county supervisors honored Bryanna, Malone met her in person.
Fairview Principal Monte Ewing-Johnson said Bryanna displayed values that teachers try to instill in students.
“The level of joy my heart felt when I learned of Bryanna’s heroism is immeasurable,” he said. “Bryanna is kind, compassionate and patient with her classmates; Therefore, it is not difficult to believe that she was able to call 911 and wait while she and her mother were rescued.”
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