Amelia Roe's Quick Thinking Helps Save Father's Life
By Leslie Rott

Amelia Roe and her father, Jim, on the Arnold Dock where he works for Mackinac Island Service Company, share a special bond after she saved his life in November.

By Leslie Rott

When 10-year-old Amelia's father, Jim Roe, had a medical emergency November 13, 2005, her swift action to call 91-1 helped save his life.

That evening, Amelia and her father returned from a mainland trip to their home in Harrisonville, but high winds kept her mother, Sandy, in St. Ignace. Soon after getting home, Jim suddenly fell to the floor.

Now, all the training for emergencies her parents and the school had given her since preschool had new meaning. Amelia called her grandfather down the street, then called 91-1 emergency dispatch for help. She told the dispatcher who she was, where she was calling from, and that her father had collapsed on the floor.

The storm prevented the Coast Guard from bringing a boat to the Island, so Munson Hospital's North Flight EMS rescue helicopter was dispatched from Traverse City for an evacuation to Pellston, where he was taken by ambulance to Cheboygan. An unknown ailment caused Mr. Roe's pancreas to swell to the size of a football, shutting down several other organs in the process, Sandy Roe said. He was in the hospital for several weeks and had to have surgery to help correct the problem.

"The school helps prepare our children for these moments," Mrs. Roe said. "She's our little hero."

"It all happened so fast. I think she was in shock," Mrs. Roe said of her daughter. Although Amelia was composed during the conversation with the 9-1-1 operator, her daughter said she would prefer to stay at a friend's house if her father was going to fall on the floor again.

"I admire her courage," Chief of Police William Lenaghan said of Amelia Roe's good deed. "She needs to be really congratulated on a good job."

Chief Lenaghan said that the system worked very well in this case and that Mr. Roe was very lucky that he had a quick-acting daughter who was able to swallow her panic to call 9-1-1 and provide the necessary information to emergency personnel.

"Good things can only come from it," he said of children being taught to call 9-1-1. He has seen children as young as four being taught and said it is important to teach children how to dial manually, rather than putting the emergency number into speed dial. "If they know where to call, they're not as intimidated," he said.

Amelia was honored at the Mackinac Island Public School Anchor Awards ceremony Wednesday, May 24, for her heroism and bravery. The Chief also hopes that she will be honored by the 9-1-1 coordinator for Mackinac County, as well.

"We're very proud of her as a community," Chief Lenaghan said.