911 twice in 2 days

Two days in a row we saw ambulances come. One Tim and Anjali saw when an elderly lady fell in a store parking lot, hit her head, and was bleeding.
The second was Tuesday when our neighbor, Hodan, had difficulty breathing, when she went to the park with us. Her sister mentioned an inhaler and I knew we couldn't walk her back home for it in time. As she lay gasping on the ground, a friendly stranger, Ayan, with a cell phone stopped and helped me dial 911. I talked with a paramedic by phone until the ambulance arrived. I was terrified and Anjali cried. I had no idea how to help her myself and could only call for aid, watch her, and stroke her hair. Hearing those sirens coming for her, I was so moved. Help is coming for you! Then once she was under the care of paramedics, I spoke with Safiya, her mom. Safiya had entrusted her daughter to me and now she was laying in the back of an ambulance. I had no idea she was an asthmatic, no idea she even had an inhaler. Telling that mom- your daughter is in an ambulance- that was sober. Then the paramedic told us she was alright and I signed Hodan out of the ambulance according to her mother's instructions by phone. I've never had to sign anyone out of an ambulance before. Another sober responsibility.

Hodan is alright. She's a new inhaler user and she's agreed to carry it all the time now.

Special thanks to the kind stranger, Ayan, who stood there in the park for 20+ minutes while we used her cell phone. Thanks also to the 4 police officers, 3 fire fighters, and 2 paramedics who came to help a stranger, someone they'll never meet again. Thanks for being here and for doing for her what I couldn't.