Fellow airmen and members of the public rushed to the rescue Thursday during a very scary moment for an Air Force family.
Denisse Willis was on her way home from the emergency room with her 18-month-old daughter, Aryanna, when Aryanna had a febrile seizure, which are convulsions that occur in children between 6 months and 5 years old. The seizures are triggered by fever.
"My first instinct was to pull over and get her out of the car," Willis said Friday.
She was headed back to Malmstrom Air Force Base on 10th Avenue South and pulled into a left turn lane.
Someone pulled up behind her, and "I yelled at him to call 911," she said.
Another man helped her get across the street to a grassy area.
That's when Tech Sgt. Shaun Russell showed up.
He and two other airmen had been at AutoZone at 3300 10th Ave. S. picking up parts for their vehicle shop. Russell is with the 341st Security Forces Support Squadron.
Initially they thought they were seeing a vehicle accident, but then they noticed Willis in the road with her baby.
Technical Sgt. Sean Russell helped save 18-month-old Aryanna Willis during a roadside emergency Thursday.
Photo Credit: TRIBUNE PHOTO/JULIA MOSS
They pulled over, partially blocking traffic, and checked to make sure Aryanna had a pulse.
She did, so he rolled her on her side to open her airway.
At that point, Staff Sgt. Joseph Stalzer showed up. Stalzer is with the 819th RED HORSE and did a jaw thrust maneuver to open the baby's airway and she started showing signs of recovery, he said.
The airmen in Russell's vehicle used their fleece jackets to keep the baby warm.
Shortly afterward, local emergency medical personnel arrived and took care of Aryanna. On Friday, the baby was doing just fine, Willis said.
It turns out that Aryanna's father is also a member of 819th RED HORSE and both of the airmen who stopped to help had CPR training outside of the military. Russell was formerly an emergency medical technician and Stalzer spent four years working in an emergency room as an EMT-intermediate.
Staff Sgt. Joseph Stalzer helped save 18-month-old Aryanna Willis during a roadside emergency Thursday.
Photo Credit: TRIBUNE PHOTO/JULIA MOSS
Stalzer has two young children, including one who shares a name with Willis' daughter.
"It hits home," he said. "I would want someone to do that for me."
Neither airman wanted much attention and said they've stopped to help in several situations, never seeking thanks.
"I didn't tell anybody," Russell said about the incident. "I just did what needed to be done."
Willis said she also knows CPR but was grateful to see military members rushing to help.
"It was very comforting to see other military, because I knew they knew what they were doing," she said.
Willis said she's thankful to the airmen and the civilians who stopped to help.
"You can tell they genuinely cared," she said.
