Kail Homan talks to news reporters yesterday at the fire station in Napavine
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
NAPAVINE – Six-year-old Kail Homan was honored by the fire department yesterday for his actions which quite possibly helped save his mother’s life.
Late last week the child woke in the night to hear his mother moaning and he woke up his older brother who called for help.
His mom, Kristen Homan, is diabetic and her blood sugar had gotten too low, according to responders from Lewis County Fire District 5.
Kail Homan
“I don’t know what woke him, but if he hadn’t, there’s a pretty good likelihood his mom wouldn’t have made it,” District 5 Lt. Laura Hanson said.
Paramedics, firefighters and Fire Chief Eric Linn gathered at the fire station in Napavine yesterday afternoon to present Kail with a citation for being brave and courageous in an emergency.
Homan and her other three children were there as well.
She’s been diabetic since she was 9 years old and has taught her children what to do if she should ever show symptoms of low blood sugar, she said.
“If they can’t get me to respond, or if I’m asleep and making strange noises or if I’m slow,” the rural Chehalis resident said. “We practice it, do like a fire drill.”
They bring her candy, she said.
It was about 3 o’clock last Thursday morning when Homan was having trouble. Kail realized his mother wasn’t right.
“I woke up my big brother,” the child told a small crowd of TV camera people and news reporters gathered to hear his story.
His older brother Kain called their grandfather in Chehalis, who called 911.
Paramedic Marla Nixon and Lt. Hanson responded to the aid call at the Homan’s Jackson Highway home.
“We started an IV, gave her dextrose and waited for her to wake up,” Nixon said. She didn’t have to go to the hospital.
Hanson also gave Kail a fire department cap yesterday. The 6-year-old then got to go for a short ride in a fire engine. He took his 3-year-old brother Kage along.
Homan wanted others to learn some of the signs of distress diabetics might display. She was clearly proud her family members know just what to look for, and what to do.
“He handled it perfectly,” she said. “Just like we practiced.”
Kail Homan, 6, and his 3-year-old brother Kage pose for a snap shot at the fire department in Napavine yesterday
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
Very great pictures