A three-year-old boy in Michigan has been hailed as a hero after using his mother's face to unlock her phone and call for help when she suffered a severe epileptic seizure. Cody James Williams' quick thinking ensured his mother, Shantell Woods, received life-saving medical attention.
The incident occurred on 9 October at their home in Oakland County. Woods was cooking when she felt dizzy, sat down on a couch, and lost consciousness due to a seizure. Cody, who had witnessed similar episodes before, grabbed her phone, held it up to her face to unlock it using facial recognition, and then contacted a neighbour via video call.
“Help mommy, help mommy,” Cody said to the neighbour, who immediately called first responders. Woods later wrote on a GoFundMe page that the seizure was “so intense that I could have lost my life”. She has experienced over 20 seizures in recent months due to diabetes and high blood pressure.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard honoured Cody at a news conference on 14 October, symbolically deputising him as a junior member of his office. “This young man figured it out,” Bouchard said. “The most important win … is that mom’s here.” Woods, holding Cody, said, “He’s my hero – he’s my superhero. You saved my life. I could have been gone.”
