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Metro Atlanta

9-year-old Cobb boy honored for saving mom’s life with 911 operator

The young boy called 911 when his mother started having a heart attack.
By Ben Brasch
June 15, 2018

Karnia Lake’s first call as a 911 operator was 9-year-old Connor Green. His mother’s lips were turning blue.

Connor’s mother told her son to call 911 while she was having a heart attack. The boy and Lake were recognized by Cobb County in June for saving the woman’s life in February.

"I was nervous and afraid that I was going to lose my mom," Connor told Channel 2 Action News.

READ | Cobb cops: Teen stole car with kid, 3, in back seat as mom pumped gas

Lake said Connor stayed calm and relayed instructions to his mother, Christie. The operator sent paramedics their way.

“Just the reality of it, that I could not be here right now and I would’ve left my son without his mother,” the mother told WSB-TV.

Connor said his time in Boy Scouts taught him to stay calm.

READ | Crimes of Cobb: Man slips and accidentally shoots gun near apartments

The Boy Scouts award him the Medal of Merit, given for "lifesaving and meritorious action (and) are made only for outstanding and unusual acts that demonstrate unusual heroism, skill, or bravery and reflect Scouting ideals," according to the Scouts website.

“I’m just so grateful for that second chance,” the mother said.

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About the Author

Ben Brasch is the reporter tasked with keeping Fulton County government accountable. The Florida native moved to Atlanta for a job with The AJC. If there's something important to you going on in Fulton, he wants to know about it. Help him better metro Atlanta by dropping a line, anonymously or otherwise.

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