Twin boys help save grandpa during heart attack
BRADENTON (FOX 13) - When a Manatee County man started having a heart attack, he knew he was in trouble, but he was lucky to have two little heroes at his side.
Now Eli and Connor Fitzpatrick might be know forever as the wonder twins.
"I am very proud of those two little boys," said their mom, Kristen Fitzpatrick.
They are certainly a hero to their mom - and now to their grandpa. The 8-year-old twins were with him at home last month when he started having a heart attack.
"My grandfather had chest pain and jaw pain. He was sweating a lot. He was breathing shallow," Eli remembered. "I was about to cry into the phone."
Their grandpa dialed 911 and handed the phone over to Eli.
"I was really worried," Conner told FOX 13 News.
Recordings from the 911 call reveal these little super heroes managed to keep calm while Eli told the dispatcher what was going on.
"My grandfather's heart doesn't feel good," he said on the 911 tape.
While Connor waited outside for the ambulance, the dispatcher talked them through it.
"You are doing a great job. Is your grandpa still doing okay?" the dispatcher asked.
"Grampy are you doing okay?" Eli asked his grandpa,
"Yep," he responded.
When paramedics arrived, Connor was ready.
"I directed the people who were in the ambulance to come inside and see where he was," he said.
Paramedics took over from there. They rushed grandpa to the ER. Dispatcher Brianna Volkmar said the boys' actions helped save critical time.
"It was a touching call. You could tell they were nervous....They did a great job of answering the questions and letting me know grampy's heart is hurting," Volkmar said.
Some aren't surprised by Eli and Connor's actions, however. They have a good role model; their mother is also a 911 dispatcher.
"I have been doing this for 17 years, so as soon as they could talk, we've been talking about 911 and what questions they are going to ask them and what information they need to provide," Fitzpatrick explained.
A month after making that call, their grandpa is back at home and has Eli and Connor to thank.
"They are my two little heroes," he said.