Most 10-year-olds would panic if their mother suddenly went into labor with no other adult around. Miracle Moore did something very different. The fourth grader called 911, listened carefully to the dispatcher and helped her mother safely deliver her baby sister at their home in Jennings, Missouri.
On October 22, Miracle was home with her mother, 30-year-old Viola Fair, when Fair went into labor. The baby was coming quickly, and there was no time to wait for someone else to arrive.
Miracle immediately dialed 911 and was connected to dispatcher Scott Stranghoener. During the approximately 11-minute call, she explained what was happening and became the crucial link between the dispatcher and her mother.
As emergency responders made their way to the house, Miracle carefully repeated Stranghoener’s instructions. When he warned that Fair should not sit on the toilet, Miracle relayed the message. She then told her mother to lie on her back in the center of the bed or on the floor.
Even as her mother cried out in pain, Miracle stayed engaged with the dispatcher. When Fair had difficulty getting into position, Stranghoener instructed the young girl to place towels or blankets underneath her. Miracle followed his directions and also remembered to unlock the front door so paramedics could get inside as soon as they arrived.
At one point, the frightened little girl told the dispatcher that her mother was crying. She was only 10, after all, and what was happening around her was frightening. Yet she continued listening, communicating and helping her mother through the emergency.
By the time first responders arrived, Miracle had already played an extraordinary role in bringing her little sister safely into the world.
What makes the story so touching is not that Miracle was completely fearless. Courage does not always mean being unafraid. Sometimes it means being scared and still managing to do what the moment requires. Faced with a situation far beyond what anyone would expect a fourth grader to handle, Miracle listened to the adults guiding her, stayed beside her mother, and did everything she could to help.
Her quick thinking also highlights the work of emergency dispatchers such as Stranghoener, whose calm instructions can make an enormous difference before paramedics reach the scene. Miracle may have been the hands in the room, but she was not handling the emergency entirely alone. She listened, Stranghoener guided her, and first responders were on their way.
For Miracle, however, this will always be more than an emergency call. She helped welcome her own little sister into the world.
And someday, when that little girl asks about the day she was born, her family will have quite a story to tell her: her 10-year-old big sister was there when she needed her most.
Watch Miracle’s remarkable story and hear portions of the 911 call in the TODAY report below:
