4-year-old Whitley Co. girl meets 911 operator who helped save her life

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - On Thursday, A four-year-old Whitley County girl met the 911 operator who helped save her life, Thursday afternoon.

On December 1, 2022, dispatcher Rachel Durham of the Williamsburg Police Department received an urgent phone call. Four-year-old Lily Bruce was found unresponsive by her mother, Matracia, and grandfather, Tracy.

”I heard my daughter say, ‘Lily, Lily, Lily,’ like three times, so when she said it the third time, I went in there, and we seen that she was unresponsive.”

In a moment of panic, Durham led the family through CPR over the phone in hopes of reviving Lily.

In less than five minutes, Lily was breathing again.

“You always have to be ready because you may have something really serious, and you have to be able to deal with it because you never know what’s going to happen,” Durham said.

Lily made a full recovery just two days after the incident.

Thursday afternoon, the family stopped by to say “thanks” to the first responders and let Lily meet the person who saved her life.

The family says they owe it all to Durham.

“I really, truly thought she was gone. She wasn’t breathing or anything. So having her being so calm and staying on the phone with me, it means a lot,” said Lily’s mother, Matracia.

Lily’s way of saying “thank you” was through lots of hugs, a gift basket and hand-drawn gifts from her.

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