Illinois 7-Year-Old Saves Dad After Terrifying Staircase Fall

Kids do amazing things all the time, but it's not often that they save their parent's life like this 7-year-old girl from Illinois did.

Raising Responsible Kids

As the parent of two daughters aged 9 and 12, I often worry about teaching them all the skills they need to be successful and respectful adults.

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Of course, book smarts are important, but what about survival skills? Do they know how to make themselves a meal? Do they know my phone number? Do they know what to do in a medical emergency?

I'd like to say the answer is yes to all of those questions, but...if my husband and I fell down the stairs and hit our heads, would they panic and call Grandma, or would they keep calm and call 911?

7-Year-Old Illinois Girl Saves Her Dad's Life

CBS News reports, on the night of Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Xavier Dates was watching the Bulls game at his home in Lynwood, Illinois when he went to check on his 7-year-old daughter Mia who was upstairs in her bedroom. When he was going back downstairs, he fell down six stairs, hit his head, and lost consciousness.

Mia heard the commotion and knew her dad was badly hurt, but instead of crying and calling her mom at work, she grabbed his phone and called 911.

When paramedics arrived, they described Mia as "calm, cool, and collected", and they also credited her with putting their barking dog in its cage, finding keys, and unlocking the door to let paramedics inside.

Would your 7-year-old child know what to do in a medical emergency like this?! I'm not so sure about mine.

One of the paramedics, Kevin Rosas, told CBS News Chicago:

If it wasn't for that girl, honestly, I don't know how long it would've taken to get to our patient.

I think it's very important and crucial to teach your kids, if they're old enough to manage a phone, how to kind of recognize dangers or recognize when something's not right, and have the ability to call 911.

Way to be a hero, Mia! I will be sharing your story with my kids today, so they know how to be a hero too.