Amherst County honors girl who helped stricken father

LYNCHBURG -- Tears ran down Mark Campbell's face Wednesday as he listened to a recording of his 9-year-old daughter crying out while speaking to an emergency dispatcher:

"I just called his name, but he didn't respond, so I called 911! . . . Help is on the way, Daddy. Help is on the way. I love you."

Even now, months after the incident, Campbell can't remember the July afternoon when he had a seizure while Lexi was alone with him in their Madison Heights home.

"I just remember dozing off and waking up in an ambulance," Campbell said at an awards ceremony in honor of his daughter at the Amherst County Courthouse.

Lexi, however, remembers the day well. On July 2, her dad fell asleep after fixing her an afternoon snack, she said. Then, not long after, he began to shake violently in his recliner.

At first, the Elon Elementary School student thought he might be playing a game. But as he seized and rolled and refused to answer her cries, she realized the situation was serious and called 911.

"I just kept saying, 'If you don't stop, Daddy, I'll call 911!'" Lexi said.

The Amherst County dispatch supervisor on duty, Teresa Cash, said she was alarmed when she heard a young girl's voice on the phone but also impressed by Lexi's composure.

"She was so calm. She did exactly what I told her."

Lexi fed information to Cash over the phone while holding her father's head up to keep his airway open.

Cash, who also was recognized at the ceremony, kept assuring Lexi while they waited for emergency workers to arrive.

"It's OK. We're going to do this together."

The conversation lasted 10 minutes, but it seemed like years, Cash said Wednesday.

"My main concern was getting help to her father. I was her lifeline."

And, she added, Lexi was her father's lifeline.

"She was truly amazing. She should be recognized for the great job that she did."

Amherst Sheriff Jimmy Ayers, who also praised Cash for her work, presented Lexi with a badge during the ceremony.

"Because of what you did on July 2," he told her, "I'm giving you a badge just like mine."

Campbell recovered from the seizure after being taken to Lynchburg General Hospital. After hearing the 911 recording Wednesday afternoon, he said he was moved by how much his daughter had to go through and how well she handled it.

"It just tore me up," he said. "She saved my life."

Duffie Taylor is a staff writer for The News & Advance in Lynchburg.