The little girl warned them that the thing didn’t look safe, yet her mom and dad brought it inside the house. They thought it was okay to be near it.
The worried 9-year-old went upstairs to her room, leaving them be. When she returned to the living room, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Everyone was lying motionless on the floor.
Marcelina Brandao and her family lived through some difficult times in their lives. When she got married, she knew things would change but never expected this much struggle.
Eventually, Marcelina and her husband pulled through and built themselves a nice life in the suburbs. They bought a house and had two lovely children, one of which would end up saving their lives one day.
Marcelina’s daughter, Jayline Barbosa Brandao, was a lovely girl who did great in school and had a bright future ahead of her.
Jayline was always the one who cheered everyone up, and her energy never seemed to leave her. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was 9 years old, or maybe that’s just the way she was. Nonetheless, that fighting spirit would be responsible for changing her family’s fate.
Jayline had a little sister as well, called Maya. They both loved each other and played together whenever they had the chance. Jayline was her little sister’s idol. She took pride in her big sister and always ran to her whenever she had a problem.
Jayline taught her little sister many things, and sooner than later, she would also teach her the lesson of her life.
When a powerful storm blew through the U.S. east coast, many homes were left in a terrible situation for days. The Brandao family was no exception.
They had to struggle not only to fix things but to bring their life back on track as well. The family was in a terrible emotional state. They needed a boost, and they needed it fast.
The storm ravaged the Brandao family’s neighborhood, and the family was still trying to recover emotionally from the ordeal they’d been through.
The father hated to see his family this way. The only one who still seemed able to smile was the strong Jayline. The man knew he had to do something, and he had to do it fast.
Because of the storm, many homes were left without power for several days. The Brandao home was among them.
When that happened to the family, they were able to borrow a generator. This meant that they had power and they could warm themselves. This cheered everyone up, as the mother could make their favorite meal again. They felt safe. But that wouldn’t last for long.
They made sure to only run it for a few minutes at a time but eventually, they had to shut it down completely because they found it to be too noisy.
The family sacrificed electricity for peace and quiet. They all agreed it was the right thing to do, and they decided to try and last until power was back on. The only thing that mattered was that they were together.
Because it wasn’t theirs and it was expensive, the family decided to try and protect the generator as best they could. The storm was over, but the weather was still bad, and the thing was outside, close to their home.
Not realizing just how far away a generator needs to be from homes, they unplugged it and brought it inside. They thought it was the best thing to do.
Marcelina Brandão began to feel dizzy and nauseous. She figured that it was simply a migraine. But soon after, she passed out.
When her husband saw her, he panicked and began shouting. Jayline was somewhere else in the house, completely unaware of what was happening until her dad’s yelling caught her attention. She was playing with her sister when tragedy was about to strike.
Jayline hurried to where her parents were but by the time she arrived, both of them were unconscious from the carbon monoxide emanating from the generator, even though it was turned off.
The little girl was terrified. She had no idea what had happened, and worst of all, she had no idea that she was in danger as well.
Then the 9-year-old girl quickly looked for a phone to try and call for help. She had eventually found her father’s phone, but it was locked. She couldn’t call.
Time was running out, and the girl was beginning to panic. Then she came up with a brilliant idea while her parents were still lying unconscious on the floor.
In that time of extreme stress, Jayline managed to keep her composure and come up with a plan that would save everyone.
Jayline unlocked her father’s phone by using his face and then called the emergency services. The 9-year-old girl’s quick thinking and brilliant actions were the things that saved the entire family that day. It was pretty amazing.
While waiting for help to arrive, Jayline didn’t lose sight of what was important. She quickly took her sister and ran to one of the neighbors, asking for help. When the neighbor heard about what happened, she quickly ran into the house and called 911 again to ensure help was coming.
It only took minutes, and help arrived. As a precaution, Jayline, her little sister, and their parents were all taken to the hospital to be evaluated and treated. Only Jayline’s parents were affected, but, in the end, help arrived just in time to minimize damage.
When Marcelina found out about her daughter’s bravery, she couldn’t praise her enough and even shared their story on social media. As news outlets shared the family’s experience, The National Weather Service used this as an opportunity to remind us all of the importance of homes having working carbon monoxide detectors. They also said that backup generators should be placed at least 20 feet away from doors, windows, and vents. In addition to helpful safety tips, as word continued to spread of Jayline’s bravery, she was rightfully being called a hero.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
