Noemi “Emi” Vatavuk contacted her grandparents and helped emergency crews reach the family’s apartment during her mother’s medical crisis.
RUSK, TX — A 3-year-old East Texas girl helped get emergency care to her mother during a seizure by calling her grandparents, following their instructions and unlocking the family’s apartment for paramedics, according to UT Health East Texas EMS.
Noemi “Emi” Vatavuk was home in Rusk with her mother, Aiden Wilkie, when Wilkie suffered the seizure earlier this year. With no other adult in the apartment, Emi contacted her grandparents near Atlanta through FaceTime. They called emergency dispatchers and relayed information as crews headed to the home. UT Health East Texas EMS recognized Emi on Sept. 8 for the actions that helped responders reach and treat her mother.
Wilkie said she could not move or speak during the seizure. Her mother, Ryan McCleod, remained connected to Emi by video while Wilkie’s father communicated with dispatchers. Wilkie later said her daughter rolled her onto her side, rubbed her hair and stayed near her while the family worked to bring help to the apartment.
The response became more difficult when emergency crews had trouble identifying the correct apartment. The front door also was locked, and Emi could not reach the lock on her own. McCleod told her granddaughter to get a chair. Emi dragged one from the dining room to the front door, climbed onto it and unlocked the door, according to the account released by UT Health East Texas EMS.
Emi then went outside and helped responders determine which apartment they needed to enter. Audio from the emergency call captured a dispatcher and family members encouraging the child to call out to the approaching crews. EMT Tim Spurgeon later described Emi as courageous and brave as she helped draw paramedics to the correct location.
McCleod said her granddaughter remained composed while instructions and information passed among the child, relatives hundreds of miles away and emergency personnel in East Texas. “This kid is resilient beyond anything I ever expected,” McCleod said. “I was so proud of her. There are no words.”
Wilkie, who said she was diagnosed with epilepsy as an infant, had prepared Emi for the possibility that her mother might need help. In local television interviews, Wilkie said the family had taught the child to recognize first responders as people she could trust. Those lessons became important when Emi found herself as the only other person home during the seizure.
Lisa Wingfield, the EMS system status controller who dispatched the call, said keeping her own voice calm was important because information had to pass through several people before reaching crews. Wingfield said that after responders reached the family, she took a break and cried because she was relieved they had received help.
UT Health East Texas EMS honored Emi in Tyler on Sept. 8. EMS CEO John Smith and Medical Director Dr. Yagnesh Desai presented her with a certificate of bravery and an EMS challenge coin. Paramedic Caleb Ridgeway and Spurgeon, members of the ambulance crew that answered the call, also presented her with a teddy bear. Wilkie credited the combined work of her daughter, parents, dispatchers and EMS personnel with getting her the care she needed.
“She is definitely my hero,” Wilkie said of her daughter. Officials have not released the exact date of the seizure, saying only that the emergency happened earlier this year. The recognition ceremony brought Emi back together with members of the emergency team whose response began with a video call from a 3-year-old seeking help for her mother.
Author note: Last updated September 12, 2026.