Leilani Cienega stayed calm and called for help when her mom collapsed
NEED TO KNOW
- Leilani Cienega, 10, stayed calm and called for help after her mom collapsed during a school 10K event
- Paramedics praised Cienega’s quick thinking, which doctors said prevented her mom’s stroke from becoming more severe
- Cienega was honored with a surprise school assembly attended by her family, paramedics, and the community
A fifth grader is being honored by her community for saving her mom who had a stroke and collapsed during a 10K.
Leilani Cienega, 10, was taking part in her Modesto, Calif., elementary school’s annual race, 10K with a Cop. “I was more, like, excited about getting the medal,” Cienega, a member of the running club at Sinclear Elementary, told ABC 10 about the March 14 event. “I want to get like a lot of medals and… keep on running when I grow up.”
Her mother, Manuela Armenta, joined Cienega at the start line. But shortly after the race began, her vision became blurry. “I felt my knees so weak… and then I fell, knees first, then my whole body,” Armenta told the outlet. “The first thing in my mind was [Leilani] because it was only her and me. I was thinking, ‘Oh my God, what’s going to happen to her?’ ”
Even though Cienega was “worried,” she remained calm — and took action. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just encouraged myself to think of the first thing [you should do],” she said. “I called my brother, and then I called him again to tell him what hospital we were going to.” She stayed with her mother, communicating with bystanders, until the paramedics arrived…