A 9-year-old Sedro-Woolley boy helped save his mother's life, by ignoring her wishes.
With a newborn baby brother, Camdyn Smith knows to help out around the house.
"I make bottles," said the 9-year-old. "I changed Dylan's diaper once!"
He's a very caring kid, willing to do just about anything when it comes to his mom.
So, when Camdyn came home from school earlier this month and his mom was having chest pains and trouble breathing, he knew he had to do something.
"I told her she needed to go to the hospital, but she kept saying she just wanted to stay here," Camdyn said.
Kimberly Smith thought she'd be okay if she just put the baby down and took a nap, but Camdyn was insistent.
The old saying "mother knows best" did not apply here, and he convinced her to get to a doctor.
"I kept saying that we needed to go. So, I just went and got my shoes and coat on and told her we needed to go," said Camdyn.
When Kimberly got to her doctor, they immediately called an ambulance and sent her to the ER. Doctors there found both lungs full of blood clots – pulmonary embolisms.
Kimberly was hospitalized for seven days.
Doctors told her it's a good thing she listened to her son.
"If I had taken the nap, there's a good chance it would've been a very different outcome," she said. "A sad one."
So, where did Camdyn learn what to do?
It turns out it was in his 4th grade PE class at Evergreen Elementary in Sedro-Woolley.
His teacher, Timathi Fitzpatrick, had suffered an embolism herself and taught her students the signs and severity.
"It's sometimes questionable whether they are paying attention," said Fitzpatrick, "but something stuck with him pretty well!"
But why did Camdyn, an ordinary kid who likes playing video games with his older brother, Bryson, know to push back so hard against his mother's wishes? He said he isn't really sure, but the answer becomes clear as tears stream down his cheeks when he thinks about what happened.
He just loves her so much.
"He is definitely my hero," said Kimberly. "They say your life flashes before your eyes, and it's true. It makes you look at your kids in a whole different way."
Kimberly is hoping to use her experience to call attention to the issue of pulmonary embolisms.
Kimberly, a single mom of three, was supposed to be back to work at this point, but her condition is expected to keep her out of work several more weeks. A GoFundMe account has been established to help with medical bills.
