A Wyoming first-grader’s quick-thinking proved to be the difference between life and death for his beloved grandmother, who he found unconscious on the floor one morning before school.
Mason Rasmussen, six, heroically saved the life of his 54-year-old grandmother, who doubles as his caretaker, after dressing himself, getting to school, and reporting that his grandmother had ‘died’ – ultimately sending EMS to her house.
On the morning of December 19, Mason woke to his grandmother’s wake-up alarm only to find her unconscious, lying on her bedroom floor.
His grandmother, Kimberly Gibson, has Type 1 diabetes, she told Cowboy State Daily.
She later recounted the unnerving incident, claiming her blood sugar had plunged to a dangerously low level while she slept.
‘I had treated myself once in the night, and it wasn’t enough,’ Gibson said.
She recalled, from her later talks with her grandson, that she may have been suffering from a seizure at the moment he discovered her.
Mason then said he tried to set his grandmother up on a chair.
Six-year-old Mason Rasmussen, of Wyoming , heroically saved the life of his 54-year-old grandmother, Kimberly Gibson, after dressing himself, getting to school and reporting that his grandmother had ‘died’ – ultimately sending EMS to her house
On the morning of December 19, Mason (pictured) woke to his grandmother’s wake-up alarm only to find his caretaker unconscious, lying on her bedroom floor
‘I tried to blow air into your body, but that didn’t work,’ Gibson recalled of Mason’s recollection of the near-fatal December morning, Cowboy State Daily reported.
A second alarm later went off, signaling to Mason that he needed to get to his bus and off to school.
Quickly and with adult-like composure, he then dressed himself – all by himself.
Wearing cargo shorts, a T-shirt and cowboy boots without socks in below-freezing temperatures, his teacher quickly recognized something was off.
‘The school noticed rather quickly he’s not dressed like he should be,’ Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Detective Stephanie Cassidy said.
‘They were like, normally he’s a very well-taken-care-of kid. Well-dressed and well-mannered.’
His teacher, Caroline Pierpoint, asked her ill-dressed student what had happened this morning, to which he replied: ‘My grandma’s home alone, and she died this morning.’
Pierpoint then told the school’s principal, who in turn called Sweetwater County Dispatch, Gibson recalled.
The school, Stagecoach Elementary School, also notified Gibson’s husband, Cory Gibson, of the chilling incident, though at the time he was working at a power plant roughly an hour from their home in Rock Springs.
First responders were immediately dispatched to Mason and Gibson’s home where they found the 54-year-old still alive and went on to provide lifesaving care.
In the meantime, Cassidy, who heard the commotion over her radio, took a trip down to Mason’s school to pay him a visit after hearing the news of his likely-dead guardian.
However, as she checked on the grief-stricken boy, another deputy, Ana Lindig, who was on the scene, called Cassidy and told her that Gibson was alive and receiving care.
‘I was like, “Oh thank God,”‘ she recalled.
She then recalled turning to Mason: ‘You know what, buddy, I think your grandma is going to be OK. She’s with an ambulance now.’
In the days following the distressing incident, Sweetwater County Police awarded the brave and quick-witted boy with a framed bravery certificate and goodie package. Pictured: Mason with his award alongside Deputies Nathaniel Hull and Zachary Otte, Detective Stephanie Cassidy and Deputy Ana Lindig
Cassidy noted the change in the boy’s expression from the early stage of grief back to elation, then shock.
‘I couldn’t imagine the roller coaster he was on,’ Cassidy said.
In the days following the distressing incident, Sweetwater County Police awarded the brave and quick-witted boy with a framed bravery certificate and goodie package.
‘Just to say, “You did the right thing, and you were so brave, ultimately saving grandma’s life,”‘ Cassidy said hoping Mason would ‘attach something positive’ to the experience.
Sweetwater County Deputy Jason Mower, the agency’s spokesman, elaborated in a Monday press release, saying the award was to recognize that the boy remained calm under pressure and told a trusted adult about the crisis he’d seen.
Cassidy and the deputies who had helped his grandmother went to Gibson’s house Friday and presented Mason with his bravery award.
‘There’s something in him, he’s a good boy,’ she said.
